Bad Moon Rising
by deathsweetqueen
Summary: 10/Time Lady!OC. The Doctor has regenerated. Now, the Priestess must adjust to a companion who seems to have feelings for her Bondmate, visions that speak of a great tragedy that may unhinge her, and the rise of discord that threatens her own relationship with the Doctor. But Torchwood is waiting, and time always has its due. Second in the Lady Oracle Apocrypha.
1. The Christmas Invasion: Bad Santa

**Disclaimer** _:_ I don't own Doctor Who. That all belongs to the wonderful people who have the right to say that they own it.

 **A/N** _:_ Here's the second story in my Lady Oracle Apocrypha. This will cover Season 2 of Doctor Who and features my Time Lady OC, the Priestess, who's the Doctor's significant other from back on Gallifrey. He found her again in Van Statten's museum and they've been travelling again, with Rose along for the ride. I strongly urge that you read the first story in the series, **Dream Weaver** , which will explain a lot of things, before you read this one.

I know that this has been a very long time coming. It's actually taken me almost 4 years to write this story where the first one took only a couple of months. I wish I had a better explanation than real life, but a lot of things were going on in my life, and I am a full-time university student, but I promise you that I never actually gave up on this series.

By the way, those who reviewed the last chapter in **Dream Weaver** , I've put my replies at the bottom.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Christmas Invasion: Bad Santa**

The Doctor dashed towards the console and flicked a few switched, his eyes scanning the monitor.

"6 pm… Tuesday…" He murmured, while the Priestess watched him from the other side of the console and Rose looked at him, watching the Doctor, half-concealed by a pillar. The Doctor turned a knob. "October... 5006... On the way to Barcelona!" He straightened and looked over at the Priestess, grinning as if extremely pleased with himself. "Now then... what do I look like?" The Priestess opened her mouth to say something, but he held a hand up to silence her. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. Don't tell me."

The Priestess rolled her eyes.

"Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands..." He flicked his wrist. "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle." His hands flew to his hair, running through the dark brown locks.

The Priestess watched Rose, carefully, noticing the shocked look on the girl's face. She knew that regeneration for humans was a concept that was hard to believe in and hard to accept. All she hoped was that if Rose could not acknowledge that this Doctor was _the_ Doctor, that the girl's mistrust wouldn't hurt her Theta Sigma too much.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, gleefully. "Oh, Oh! Big hair!" His fingers ran down his sideburns, his face transforming into an expression of delight. "Sideburns, I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin. Little bit thinner..." He patted his stomach. "That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it." The Doctor said, reassuringly, with the air of someone who had made a great discovery. "I... have got... a mole. I can feel it." The Priestess watched in trepidation as Rose began to breathe, heavily, the Doctor not noticing at all. "Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole." He rotated his shoulders. "That's all right. Love the mole." He grinned at the Priestess and Rose. "Go on, then, tell me."

The Doctor stood straight up before the Priestess and Rose, ready for their assessment, his hair all ruffled.

"What do you think?" The Doctor asked, a little nervously.

The Priestess smiled, just a bit shyly. "Very nice, Doctor," She said, appreciatively, her eyes raking over his body.

He nodded at her, smugly. _Like this body, then?_

 _Hmm, very,_ she purred. _You are very… pretty._

 _Pretty_? His voice sounded offended. _Couldn't you have said 'handsome' or 'fit' or something more manly?_

 _I do not believe you need my reassurances in that regard, my love. You have always been the most handsome man I have ever seen._

"Who are you?" Rose asked, quietly and timidly.

The Doctor looked crestfallen and slightly surprised, his shoulders slumping. "I'm the Doctor."

Rose shook her head, not being able to believe him. "No... Where is he? Where's the Doctor?" Her voice started to rise. "What have you done to him?"

The Priestess took a step closer to Rose. "Rose, he is the Doctor," She said, cautiously.

"You saw me, I-I changed..." The Doctor indicated over his shoulder to the place where he had regenerated. "... right in front of you."

Rose shook her head. "I saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him, like a... a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or something." An angry look formed on her face.

The Priestess moved over to the Doctor and laid a hand on his arm, comforting him, as his mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Rose took a few steps towards them. At arm's length, she shoved her finger against his chest, raising the Priestess' hackles.

"You're not fooling me," Rose hissed.

The Doctor rocked back on his heels from the force of the shove, as though he cannot believe what he was hearing.

The Priestess growled under her breath. She gripped Rose's wrist and pushed her back, gently. "That is enough, Rose. You may not believe him, but believe me. He is most definitely the Doctor."

"No," Rose shook her head. "I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes... Gelth..." Rose glared, darkly, at him. "Slitheen..." The Doctor raised an eyebrow in amusement. Rose's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, my God, are you a Slitheen?"

"He is not a Slitheen," The Priestess snapped. "And you cannot be _a_ Slitheen. Slitheen is a family, not a species. He would have to be a Raxacoricofallapatorian."

"Send him back. I'm warning you, send the Doctor back right now!" Rose shouted, helplessly. She looked at the Priestess. "How can you believe this faker? Did he do something to you? Like scramble your brains?"

The Doctor sighed. "Rose, it's me," He said, pleadingly, leaning forward in his urgency to make her believe him. "Honestly, it's me." He turned to the Priestess. "Tell her."

"I have; she is not listening to me," The Priestess huffed. "And now she believes you have done something to me. What am I to do?" She sent him a withering look.

Rose just stared at them, her chest rising and falling very fast.

"I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell, but... it's still me," The Doctor explained, lowly.

"You can't be," Rose whispered.

The Doctor shot the Priestess a helpless look, but she shook her head, which he took to mean _she's your companion, deal with it on your own_. He sighed and took a few steps closer to Rose, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Then how could I remember this? Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar. Surrounded by shop window dummies... oh..." He looked away from her, his eyes softening while he reminisced. "Such a long time ago. I took your hand..." To emphasise his point, he took her hand in his. Rose glanced down, briefly, at their joined hands before her eyes shot back to meet his. "I said one word... just one word, I said... "Run"."

The two gazed in each other's eyes, Rose's slowly becoming filled with tears.

"Doctor," Rose whispered, hopefully.

The Doctor grinned, pleased.

"Hello," The Doctor murmured, gently.

Rose sighed in an almost exasperated fashion and stumbled backwards, the impact of what had just happened finally hitting her hard. The Doctor tugged on the Priestess' arm and pulled her around the other side of the console.

"And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running…" He flicked a few switches on the console. "One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives." He started to hop, madly, up and down on the spot, while Rose had her back against the pillar, watching him, carefully. The Priestess pursed her lips and stared at him with amusement. "Yeah? All that hopping? Remember hopping for your life? Yeah?! Hop? With the..."

The Doctor looked at the Priestess, noticing Rose's lack of reaction, and his wild enthusiasm drained away from his voice. The Priestess shrugged and the hopping subsided.

"No?" He called out, weakly.

"Can you change back?" Rose asked, quietly.

The Priestess winced and looked at the Doctor with concern. It was a hit below the belt to ask a question like that. Even though regeneration transformed their looks and sometimes facets of their personalities, they still remained the same person underneath all of that skin and hair and tissue and blood. The Doctor was still the Doctor. He was the same Doctor she had known in the Academy. While his appearance may have changed ten times (and she still hadn't quite forgiven him for putting himself in a position where he needed to regenerate to save his own life, and thus bringing himself closer to a permanent death), he had always remained the Theta Sigma she had fallen in love with.

She wondered if Rose, with her year of knowing the Doctor, could appreciate what that meant – but it did nothing to still her anger at Rose's insensitive comment.

The Doctor looked as if Rose had slapped him across the face. "Do you want me to?" He asked, slowly.

"Yeah."

"Oh," The Doctor whispered and reached for the Priestess' hand, an action which was hidden by the console.

"Can you?"

"No," The Doctor said, disappointedly.

The Priestess hid her gall that the Doctor would want to return to his previous regeneration all for the sake of this one human girl.

The Doctor glanced, briefly, down at the door.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Rose recoiled. "Do you want me to leave?" She whispered.

"No…" The Doctor said, quickly. "But... your choice... if you want to go home..." He could still see the sadness on Rose's face and he looked down at the console. "Cancel Barcelona. Change to... London... the Powell Estate... ah... let's say the 24th of December." He looked at Rose. "Consider it a Christmas present." Rose started to edge closer to the console. "There."

He stepped away from the console, his arms tucked under his armpits in an almost defensive manner. The Priestess reached out and rubbed his back in comfort, sensing that the rejection of his companion had hit him hard. Rose looked at him and then back at the console, while the TARDIS shuddered as it changed direction.

"I'm going home?" Rose asked, slowly.

"Up to you," The Doctor shrugged. "Back to your mum... it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast... no, Christmas! Turkey! Although..." He grimaced. "Having met your mother... nut loaf would be more appropriate." He joked.

Rose looked down, quickly, trying to hide a smile.

"Was that a smile?" The Doctor teased. He looked at the Priestess. "Wasn't that a smile?"

"No." Rose shook her head.

"That was a smile," The Priestess said, pointedly, almost hopefully.

"No, it wasn't."

"You smiled…" The Doctor said, teasingly.

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, come on, all I did was change, I didn't..." The Doctor gagged as the TARDIS shuddered.

The Priestess rushed to his side, concern and worry etched across her face, as Rose watched them, questioningly.

"What?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"I said I didn't…" The Doctor gagged again, violently, and doubled over, retching.

The Priestess swallowed hard, pressing her hands against his back and stomach, holding him up with whatever strength she had. Her eyes scanned his face and body, worriedly. She didn't even need to search his eyes to know that something had gone wrong with the regeneration. She knew something would go wrong. No one could take the whole time vortex into their body, return it to the TARDIS, regenerate and come out healthy on the other end.

"Uh oh," The Doctor looked up at the Priestess, frustration and pain in his eyes.

Rose edged, cautiously, around the console. "Er… are you alright?" She asked, awkwardly.

The Doctor's mouth parted and a wisp of golden energy floated out.

"What's that?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all," The Doctor said, reassuringly.

He gagged again, his face contorting in pain, and would have fallen to the floor had the Priestess not hooked her arms under his and held him up against her.

"Look... maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do," Rose suggested.

"No," The Priestess said, sharply. "Jack has his own undertaking. We must not interfere."

The Doctor nodded. "He's got plenty to do, rebuilding the Earth!" A lever on the console suddenly caught his eye. "Haven't used this one in years." He muttered to himself.

"Doctor!" The Priestess shouted, her hand reaching out to stop him.

The Doctor flicked it before the Priestess could stop him and the TARDIS shuddered, violently, sending all three of them to the floor.

"What're you doing?" Rose shrieked in dismay.

"Putting on a bit of speed! That's it!" The Doctor muttered, crazily. He turned a few more knobs while Rose and the Priestess clutched onto the TARDIS for dear life. "My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl!" Rose looked distinctly alarmed, while the Priestess shook her head in disbelief. The Doctor looked and sounded violent, crazed. "Faster! Wanna to break the time limit?!"

"Doctor. Stop," The Priestess snapped, gripping onto his arm, her nails digging into his skin. "You will kill us all."

The Doctor shook his head, too far gone and too worried to listen to her warnings.

"Ah, don't be so dull... let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" The Doctor said, slightly nastily and still crazed. He caught the Priestess' eyes for a moment and his body relaxed, his hands clutching onto him, desperately. "The regeneration. It's going wrong. I can't stop myself."

 _Nikki,_ the Doctor whispered, desperately.

He didn't need to say anything further. She already knew.

 _I know, my love,_ the Priestess told him, reassuringly.

He grimaced in pain, his head falling onto the Priestess' shoulder, calming when he felt her nails rake through his hair. "Ah, my head." He groaned. Suddenly, he violently sprung up into a standing position again and his voice returned to a crazed pitch. "Faster! Let's open those engines!"

A bell started to ring through the TARDIS.

Rose looked around, frightened. "What's that?" She asked, fearfully.

"It is the cloister bell. It signals that we are about to crash," The Priestess said, grimly.

The Doctor laughed, manically.

"Well, then, do something!" Rose shouted at the Priestess over the sound of the bell.

"I am unable to," The Priestess scowled at the Doctor. "He has locked the controls."

The Doctor ran around the console, giggling to himself. "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!" He exclaimed, hopping in the air, excitedly.

"You're gonna kill us!" Rose shouted at him.

"Hold on tight, here we go!" The Doctor exclaimed. Their eyes met across the console, the Doctor grinning madly, the Priestess resigned and Rose looking terrified.

"Christmas Eve…!"

* * *

Jackie picked up a red bauble and hung it on a white Christmas tree, which was situated in the corner of the living room of her flat. She picked up two presents, ready to put them under the tree, when the label pasted on one of them caught her eye. She sat down, slowly and heavily, holding the present close to her chest. The label read " _To Rose. Merry Christmas. Lots of love, Mum x_ ".

She still hadn't quite figured out if she'd done the right thing by helping Rose to return to the Doctor and whatever terrible situation the alien had found himself in.

The Christmas present almost seemed to be laughing at her.

* * *

The radio in the shed was blaring out 'Merry Christmas'. Mickey suddenly paused in his work, listening intently.

"Hey, turn that down. Hey, Stevo, turn that off! Turn it off!" Mickey shouted at one of his colleagues.

The radio was turned off and Mickey's eyes widened when he heard the sound of the TARDIS engines in the distance. He stilled and then ran off.

* * *

Jackie, who was hanging up some Christmas cards on a length of string on the wall, paused and turned around, her ears tuning into the grinding and whirring sound of the TARDIS engines.

"Rose!" She cried out in relief and hope.

* * *

Jackie exited the block of flats and ran outside into the Powell Estate, where she was jointly, shortly, by Mickey. They ran towards each other.

"Mickey!" Jackie shouted, joyfully.

"Jackie, it's the TARDIS!" Mickey exclaimed, happily.

"I know! I know, I heard it! She's alive, Mickey! I said so, didn't I? She's alive!" Jackie cried out, tears coming to her eyes.

"Shush!" Mickey shouted. "Shut up a minute." He hissed.

They both looked, frantically, around for any sign of the TARDIS.

"Well, where is it then?" Jackie asked.

Suddenly, the TARDIS appeared out of thin air, about twenty feet above their heads. It crashed against the buildings on either side as it fell to the Earth. Jackie screamed and clutched onto Mickey like a lifeline. It finally skidded to a halt, smashing into a post van and knocking over some dustbins on the way. The Doctor threw the doors open and peered out, his mouth wide open as if he'd never seen London before.

"Here we are, then! London! Earth! The Solar System! We did it!" The Doctor exclaimed.

He stumbled out of the TARDIS, gazing up at the flats, his mouth still hanging open, the Priestess framed in the doorway after him. Jackie and Mickey both stared at him in shock and confusion. The Doctor suddenly noticed them.

"Jackie! Mickey! Blimey! No, no, no, no, hold on," He stumbled backwards a few steps, his face contorted in confusion. "Wait there, I've got something to say. There was something I had to tell you. Something important, what was it? No, hold on, hold on..." He stumbled over to Jackie and Mickey and put his hands on Jackie's and Mickey's shoulders, his face thoughtful. "Hold on, shush, shush, shush, shush... _Oh_!" Jackie and Mickey jumped in alarm. "I know!" He looked from one to the other, panting and beaming. "Merry Christmas!"

And he collapsed, falling to the ground unconscious. The Priestess' eyes widened and rushed over to him, falling to her knees beside the Doctor, her hand sliding over his forehead and hair and pulling his head into her lap. Rose came out of the TARDIS and noticed the Doctor and the Priestess on the ground. She felt a stab of jealousy at the way the Priestess' hand moved over the stranger's skin, practically radiating comfort and love. If he really were the Doctor, Rose was already at a disadvantage. The Priestess didn't seem to consider the whole changing-his-face thing a big deal.

 _It must be a Time Lord/Time Lady thing. They wouldn't have been able to talk to each other if they freaked out every time one of them changed their face,_ Rose reasoned with herself and felt marginally better about the whole situation.

"What happened? Is he all right?" Rose asked, a little worried.

"He is resting. The regeneration weakened him, greatly," The Priestess said, reassuringly, allowing her mind to soothe the Doctor's back into rest.

"But who is he? Where's the Doctor?" Mickey asked, confused.

"He _is_ the Doctor," The Priestess said, simply, her eyes not leaving the Doctor.

Rose nodded. "That's him. Right in front of you. That's the Doctor."

Jackie frowned. "What d'you mean, 'that's the Doctor'? Doctor who?"

The Priestess laughed, softly, at that.

"And who's she?" Jackie asked, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

"The Priestess," The Priestess said, hoarse with worry, her eyes never straying from the Doctor, who laid there on the ground, as still as if he were dead. "I am a Time Lady."

* * *

The Doctor was tucked up in bed, wearing a pair of striped pyjamas. The Priestess was sitting at his side, while Rose sat at the end of the bed, both of them looking at him, when Jackie entered the room, holding a stethoscope.

Jackie handed the stethoscope to the Priestess and sat next to her daughter. "Here we go. Tina the Cleaner's got this lodger, medical student. And she was fast asleep, so I just took it." The Priestess started to put the stethoscope in her ears. "Though, I still say we should take him to hospital."

"No," The Priestess said, firmly, pressing the end of the stethoscope to one side of her chest. "They would imprison the Doctor and myself. They would dissect us. The body of a Time Lord is a miracle. There are empires out in the universe that would rip this planet apart for just one cell." She said, slowly, her finger running across the Doctor's jawline. "And…" She looked uncomfortable. "The Doctor may pose a problem when he opens his eyes."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, softly, having to concede that the Priestess had more knowledge when it came to the Doctor and Time Lords in general.

The Priestess sighed. "Time Lords become quite erratic after regeneration. Especially after regenerations that are quite violent. The Doctor had a violent regeneration." She made it a point not to look Rose in the eye, lest her eyes turn accusing. She sighed. "The Doctor has had violent regenerations before. When he woke in his sixth body, he attempted to strangle the companion he was travelling with." Jackie and Rose looked horrified, and the Priestess grimaced, understanding how her words could cause alarm in the humans. "He registered that what he what he was doing was destructive and he immediately stopped, I swear to you." She said, hurriedly, returning her attention to the Doctor's heartbeat.

Jackie and Rose opened their mouths to say something.

"No! Be silent!" She hissed.

Their mouths snapped shut.

The Priestess heard his steady heartbeat on one side of his ribcage. She nodded to herself and slid the stethoscope to the other side of his chest, listening for a heartbeat. She smiled, finally, and removed the stethoscope.

"Both are operational," The Priestess murmured.

Jackie frowned at the woman. "What d'you mean 'both'?"

"Time Lords have two hearts," The Priestess explained, blithely.

"Oh, don't be stupid," Jackie said, contemptuously.

The Priestess seethed. "I am _not_ stupid. I can assure you, my intelligence far surpasses that of yours and your daughter's." She snapped. "My species has a dual cardiovascular system."

Rose scowled at the dig to her intelligence and stood up with a huff, walking over to the door. She knew that would come up, eventually. She knew when it came to intelligence that the Priestess was much more suited for the Doctor than she was. The Priestess was smart as hell and witty. She followed every word the Doctor said without missing a beat, whereas Rose had to pause every now and then to take in what the Doctor said.

"Anything else he's got two of?" Jackie asked after a moment.

The Priestess gave her a withering glare.

"Leave him alone," Rose warned her mother, turning back to face her.

She left the room and Jackie peered at the Doctor once more before following her. The door closed and the Priestess and the Doctor were left alone in the room. The Doctor's mouth opened and a wisp of golden Time Vortex escaped from him, floating out of a window and up into the sky.

* * *

In the kitchen, Rose opened the fridge and picked up a pork pie.

"How can he go changing his face?" Jackie asked, frowning. Rose shut the fridge door. "Is that a different face or is he a different person?" She asked, curiously.

Rose threw her hands in the air. "How should I know?" She exclaimed, frustrated. She paused and her shoulders slumped. "Sorry." She murmured, guiltily. Jackie nodded. "The thing is... I thought I knew him, mum." Her eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. "I thought me and him were... and then he goes and does this." She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and sniffed. "I keep forgetting he's not human." She laughed, wetly. "And _she_ knows so much and I'm just left in the dark."

Jackie tried to look as sympathetic as possible. It hadn't taken her long to see the friction between her daughter and the Time Lady. She had already guessed by the fervent way that Rose had tried to get back to the Doctor that her daughter was in love with him. And she had seen by the way that the Priestess attended to the Doctor back in the courtyard and her guest room that there was already something there between the Doctor and the Priestess, or the Priestess was even more in love with the Doctor than her daughter was.

She hadn't even liked the Doctor and Rose having a friendship, let alone a romantic relationship. Rose was young and impressionable, and the Doctor had shown her a world that Rose had never thought possible. She had even begun to think that Rose was just transferring her feelings for the travel onto the Doctor. It didn't actually matter in the end. All Jackie knew was that it would end in heartbreak for her daughter and that was something she didn't want to happen.

But Rose had always been stubborn; she wouldn't take well to her telling her any unkind truths, and she had already made her position on travelling with the Doctor very clear.

Rose took Jackie's hand in hers and made an obvious effort to paste a smile on her face and make her voice light-hearted again.

"The big question is... where'd you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?" She asked, lightly.

Jackie started to walk away, exhaling. "Howard's been staying over."

"What, Howard from the market? How long's that been going on?" Rose's brow furrowed.

"A month or so. First of all, he starts delivering to the door and I thought, 'that's a bit odd'. Next thing you know, it's a bag of oranges-"

Rose lost attention quickly and turned her head towards the direction of the television, distracted by what was being broadcasted

"Is that Harriet Jones?!" Rose exclaimed, leaving the kitchen and going into the living room.

Jackie scowled. "Oh, never mind me…" She muttered.

"Why's she on the telly?" Rose asked, staring at the screen.

"She's Prime Minister now. I'm eighteen quid a week better off," Jackie proclaimed, and Rose smiled, incredulously. "They're calling it 'Britain's Golden Age'. Keep on saying "my Rose has met her"."

Rose shook her head. "Did more than that. Stopped World War Three with her. Harriet Jones..."

" _Harriet Jones, what about those calling the Guinevere One Space Probe a waste of money?"_

" _Now, that's where you're wrong. I completely disagree if you don't mind."_

Rose laughed.

" _The Guinevere One Space Probe represents this country's limitless ambition. British workmanship sailing up there among the stars._ "

" _This is the spirit of Christmas, birth and rejoicing, and the dawn of a new age, and that is what we're achieving fifteen million miles away._ _Our very own miracle."_

On the television screen, a computerised image of the probe was zoomed in from Earth.

" _The unmanned probe Guinevere One is about to make its final descent. Photographs of the Martian Landscape should be received by midnight tonight."_

* * *

The Priestess sat on the bed, next to the Doctor, one hand smoothing over his forehead and hair and the other clasping one of his.

"When we came across each other for the first time, I absolutely knew you would be trouble," She murmured, lifting up his hand and pressing a kiss to his upturned palm. "You were bright and easy and mischievous, and I was this awestruck little girl who had known nothing but pain and fear. You looked at me as if the sun and the moon and the stars rose in my eyes." She swallowed hard.

The Doctor's eyes remained closed, but his hand tightened around hers, making her smile in reply.

 _My Theta Sigma. My fighter,_ she murmured through their link, knowing that even in his rest state, he could reach out through their connection.

"Regeneration always has its imperfections, I will not deny that. But you cannot remain bedridden like this," She whispered. "I cannot allow it. I dislike being selfish now, when you are so unwell. But all I have is you and all you have is me. If one of us were to..." She couldn't even finish her words. "We could not do it. We could not go on. Not properly, at least. We would be shells. _Please_ , please, just be well again."

She leaned down and kissed him, slowly and softly and with love, on the forehead.

"Do not leave me alone in this world, my love. We still have an eternity to live."

* * *

Rose and Mickey were walking down the street together. It was crowded with Christmas shoppers, chatting children and beaming adults all around.

"So, er, what d'you need? Twenty quid?" Mickey asked, hesitantly.

Rose took the note he held out to her. "Do you mind? I'll pay you back."

"Call it a Christmas present," Mickey joked and he laughed to himself.

"God, I'm all out of synch. You just forget about Christmas and things in the TARDIS. They don't exist. You get sort of... timeless."

"Oh, yeah, that's fascinating, 'cause I love hearing stories about the TARDIS. Oh, go on Rose, tell us another one 'cause I, wow, I could listen to it all day. TARDIS this, TARDIS that..." Mickey attempted to say lightly, but he knew he was being utterly serious with his words.

Every conversation he had with Rose was ultimately directed towards the Doctor or the TARDIS or her many travels. Sometimes he wondered why he was still chasing after someone who didn't even think of him before talking.

"Shut up!" Rose smiled, thinking he was joking.

"Oh! One time, in a _big_ yellow garden, full of balloons."

"I'm not like that!" Rose protested.

"Oh, you so are," Mickey said, knowingly.

"Hmm, must drive you mad. I'm surprised you don't give up on me."

"Oh, that's the thing, isn't it? You can rely on me. I don't go changing my face," Mickey said, earnestly.

"Yeah," Rose's brow furrowed. "What if he's dying?"

"Okay," Mickey growled, halting, finally fed up.

"Sorry!"

Mickey took her hands in his. "Just let it be Christmas! Could you do that? Just for a bit. You and me, and Christmas. No... no Doctor… no... no bog-monsters... no life or death."

"Okay." Rose nodded.

"Promise?" Mickey raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Rose rolled her eyes.

"Right! What're you gonna get for your mum?"

They started to walk again. Rose looked behind her, distracted, as Mickey started talking again.

"I'm round there all the time now, you know. She does my dinner on a Sunday... talks about you all afternoon, yap yap yap yap yap..."

Rose really wasn't listening to Mickey's words. She looked back at the brass band of masked Santas, who were playing 'Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy'. She gazed at them for a few seconds, sensing that there was something odd about them. Suddenly, their trumpets were revealed to be flamethrowers. Blue flame shot out of them and people ran around, screaming. The Santas started blasting around and there was a lot of commotion. Rose and Mickey ducked behind a stall.

"It's us! They're after us!" Rose shouted.

The Santas blasted the stall Rose and Mickey were hiding behind and Rose screamed. They ran, the blasting of the Santas pursuing them. One of the blasts caught the enormous Christmas tree in the Square instead and it fell to the ground on top of one of the Santas. Its mask clattered to the ground and Rose and Mickey ran down the street.

"What's going on? What've we done? Why are they after us?" Mickey asked, frantically.

A taxi drew up.

"Taxi!" Rose shouted and they clambered inside. "They're after the Doctor… and the Priestess." She said, reluctantly.

Mickey shook his head in disbelief and frustration. "I can't even go shopping with you. We get attacked by a brass band."

The taxi drove off and Rose tapped a number into her mobile.

"Who're you phoning?" Mickey asked, incredulously.

"My mum," Rose answered, putting the phone next to her ear. After a few moments, Rose sighed in frustration. "Mum, get off the phone." She said, exasperatedly.

"What about the Priestess?"

"Nah, she doesn't have a phone," Rose growled.

"Who were… those Santa things?" Mickey asked.

"I dunno. But think about it, they were after us. What's important about us? Well, nothing. Except the one thing we've got tucked up in bed. The Doctor."

* * *

Jackie wandered into the Doctor's room with a cup of tea, the phone clutched in her hand.

"Oh, no. Don't come round, darling. No, flat's all topsy turvy." She handed the cup of tea to the Priestess, who accepted it with a nod of gratitude. "Yeah, she just barges in and litters the place. Yeah, no, I'll come round and see you on Boxing Day."

When she left the room, the Priestess placed the cup of tea as close to the Doctor as possible, knowing that the tannins evaporating in the steam would aid in his recovery, watching in worry as the Vortex escaped through the Doctor's mouth again.

* * *

The taxi pulled up and Rose and Mickey jumped out and started running towards the flat. They burst into Jackie's flat, where Jackie was still on the phone.

"So, save us a chipolata…"

"Get off the phone!" Rose snapped.

Jackie scowled at Rose, annoyed by the abruptness of Rose's tone. "It's only Bev! She says hello."

Rose snatched the phone off her mum. "Bev? Yeah, look, it'll have to wait." She hung up and looked at Mickey and her mother.

The Priestess came out the door, closing the door behind her, and she walked over to Rose and Mickey.

"What is wrong? Why are you shouting, Rose?" The Priestess asked, slowly.

"There were these Santas up in High Street. They just started shooting people with blue flame," Rose explained, hurriedly.

The Priestess paled and her attention was drawn back to the room where the Doctor was sleeping. "Scavengers. The Doctor's body still contains the Time Vortex. He is breathing it out as he recovers. The scavengers are being attracted to it."

"It's not safe, we've gotta get out, where can we go?" Rose asked, quickly.

"My mate Stan, he'll put us up," Mickey offered.

Rose shook her head. "That's only two streets away." She turned to Jackie. "What about Mo? Where's she living now?"

"I dunno!" Jackie shook her head. "Peak District!"

"Oh, we'll go to Cousin Mo's then," Rose nodded to herself.

"It's Christmas Eve! We're not going anywhere! What're you babbling about?" Jackie frowned at her daughter.

The Priestess swallowed hard as she stared at something in the corner of the living room.

"Jackie… Rose…" Both women turned to look at her. "That tree… it was not there when we arrived. Where did it come from?" Jackie and Rose turned to look at it, noticing it that it was white and not green. "It is new. Where did you get it from?"

Jackie rounded on Rose. "Well, I thought it was you!"

"How can it be me?" Rose snapped.

Jackie shrugged. "Well, you went shopping, there was a ring at the door, and there it was!"

"No, that wasn't me," Rose shook her head.

"Clearly, it was neither of you. Therefore, where could it have come from?" The Priestess demanded.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hope you all liked the first chapter of _The Christmas Invasion_. We're getting more Rose jealousy in this chapter (because frankly, her attitude in this episode pissed me off royally) but we'll have to wait for later episodes in Season 2 to see how the Doctor's growing relationship with Rose affects the Priestess.

 **Reviews** :

 _NicoleR85_ : I'm glad you liked the ending to season 1. As you can probably see, there is some friction beginning between Rose and the Priestess. While Rose doesn't necessarily blame the Priestess, she is quite irritated at the fact that the Priestess does know more and makes that very much known.

 _ajwehri_ : I'm glad you liked the moment between 10 and the Priestess. I have a feeling they'll have a much flirtier relationship that 9 had with the Priestess, which of course, is one of my favourite parts of season 2. I will definitely be writing this series well into the 12th Doctor's regeneration. As far as how long that will take, who knows, but it will keep going on.

 _AxidentlGoddess_ : I'm so glad you enjoyed that last chapter! As you can see, there's definitely already some friction between the Priestess and Rose, and this is all while the Doctor's sleeping, so you can imagine that it'll probably just get worse when the Doctor's awake and oblivious. I don't want to spoil too much about the whole outing of their relationship, because that's a plot point on its own. There will be trouble in paradise, but that's not so much because of 10's personality as it is because of the issues that are already in their relationship way before Rose came into the picture – if anything, she's just going to exacerbate it.

 _time-twilight_ : Thank you! Yep, 10 and the Priestess is definitely going to be funny!

 _Shooting-Star-00_ : Thank you! I really do hope that 10 and Annika have heaps of chemistry. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far!

 _Loveless150050_ : Thank you so much for the offer!

 _shara-frost_ : Aww, thank you! Yeah, I can understand why you have more a soft spot for Rhea; she's my baby, plus, you know, I'm a South Indian as well. I'd like to think Rose has many layers; she is definitely kind, compassionate, funny, but at the same time, one thing that I heavily noticed in season 2 was that she is very insecure, and when she gets insecure, she becomes mean, which is something I don't approve of. And she tends to dig at flaws in people that I would actually say is more bullying than anything – like weight and intelligence. Rose is definitely interested in the Doctor and she's not a huge fan of the Priestess right now, and probably won't be in the future either, but I don't plan on diminishing her good qualities at the same time. She will have her own moments of character growth and understanding.

 _LeahReddington_ : Thank you so much! I was under the impression that Rose didn't actually start to properly fall for the Doctor until he was in a more aesthetically-pleasing form like 10, so if anything, the jealousy won't actually begin until this story, rather than the first one. Not to mention, I do think Rose has her fair share of good qualities and bad qualities, and I don't plan on diminishing either just to emphasise the good or the bad.

 _Kat. A. Coop_ : Thank you!

 _Blloom1234_ : Hope you liked it!

 _Guest_ : Thank you so much!

 _CaptainWilliamsN7_ : Thank you!

 _LucSinclair_ : Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it, and don't worry, you'll see plenty of sweet and fluffy and possessive 10 with the Priestess.

 _Brookiecookie2002_ : Unfortunately, I was determined to actually write the whole second story before posting it, and it took a very long time.

 _Guest_ : Thank you! I'm so sorry the second story took so long, but I actually wanted to write the whole thing before I started posting it and it kind of got away from me.

 _SeleneAlice_ : Hopefully, the wait was worth it!

 _Brookie Twiling_ : Thank you!

 _annabethnotannie_ : Thank you so much! I'm so sorry the second story took so long, but I actually wanted to write the whole thing before I started posting it and it kind of got away from me.

 _Kathiena_ : Thank you! I'm so sorry it took so long to post the second story!

 _Anon_ : Thank you so much! Don't worry, even if it takes me a long time to update, I'm determined not to give up on any of my stories!

 _Counting Sinful Stars_ : Thank you!


	2. The Christmas Invasion: Sleepyhead

**A/N** : So, I'm a terrible person and I haven't updated since March. Unfortunately, with this update, I also have an announcement to make. Those who follow my Tumblr might be aware of this already, but, basically, I don't think I'm going to be able to continue this fic. I have thought long and hard about this, and I'm really, really sorry for the decision that I've come to. I'm no longer in a position to write this fic and continue it to where I wanted it to go anymore. But, what I will do is finish posting this story in the series, which I'll do weekly. Plus, anyone who wants to know how I was going to take it in the future, or anything else they were confused about/curious about, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

I really am sorry, everyone.

 **Replies to Reviews** : At the bottom, guys.

 **Warning** _ **s**_ : Flirting, general romantic stuff.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Christmas Invasion: Sleepyhead**

 _Jackie shrugged. "Well, you went shopping, there was a ring at the door, and there it was!"_

" _No, that wasn't me." Rose shook her head._

" _If it was not you, Jackie, and if it was not Rose, where it come from?" The Priestess asked, firmly._

They all stared at the tree with trepidation. The Priestess made sure that Mickey, Rose and Jackie were behind her as the lights on the tree started to flare, brightly.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Rose muttered.

The tree started to spin, slowly at first and then started to pick up speed. Jackie screamed and the tree started to move, reducing the coffee table to firewood within seconds.

"Go, go, go!" Mickey shouted, urgently. "Get out!"

The Priestess, Rose and Jackie ran from the room, while Mickey picked up a chair and held it out in front of him.

"Mickey, it will not work. Just run!" the Priestess shouted, warningly.

Jackie ran to the front door and the Priestess rushed into the guest room, falling to her knees beside the Doctor, Rose standing in the doorway.

"We have to remove the Doctor from here," The Priestess snapped, her hands shaking as they moved over the Doctor, wondering what the best way to get him out of the apartment was.

"What're you doing?" Jackie called out.

"We can't just leave him!" Rose protested.

"Mickey!" Jackie called out, witnessing the Christmas tree chop up the legs of the chair. "Leave it! Get out! Get out!" Mickey stood his ground. "Mickey! Get out of there!"

Mickey, finally, gave up and joined Jackie. He ran into the Doctor's room.

"Just leave him!" Jackie shouted.

"No," the Priestess growled.

"Get in here!" Mickey yelled.

Frustrated, Jackie rolled her eyes and slammed the front door shut. The Christmas tree smashed through a pane of glass. Mickey and Jackie slid a wardrobe in front of the door while Rose bent over the Doctor.

"Doctor, wake up!" she shouted in his ear.

The Priestess yanked her away. "Rose, if you wake him now, his entire recovery could be jeopardised," she snapped.

The tree spun towards the room. Mickey and Jackie leaned against the wardrobe and the Priestess pulled the sonic screwdriver out of the Doctor's leather jacket. The wardrobe started to shake as the Christmas tree tried to get inside. Jackie shouted in fear. The Christmas tree finally smashed through the wardrobe and Mickey and Jackie were thrown backwards. Jackie cowered against the wall, curling into a ball.

"I'm gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie squeaked, her voice rising to a screech.

The Priestess cursed under her breath in Gallifreyan and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the tree, switching it on, simultaneously. The Christmas tree exploded into pieces and the Priestess heard chuckling from behind her. She turned around to see the Doctor sitting up, smirking at her.

"Good job," the Doctor praised, winking at her.

"It was not enough," the Priestess hissed. "It was controlled remotely. Now, get back in bed." She ordered, sharply.

"Bossy," the Doctor shot back.

"Of course I am. Now, _get back in bed_. Your healing coma is not finished," she replied through gritted teeth. "You are of no use to me if you are unwell. Now, rest." She snapped.

The Doctor snorted. "Not a chance," he retorted. "Who's controlling it?" He motioned to the destroyed Christmas tree and slid out of the bed.

* * *

The Doctor went out onto the balcony, the Priestess wrapping a stray dressing gown around him, much to Rose's dismay. Rose and Jackie and Mickey followed them. Outside on the ground stood three Santas.

"That's them. What are they?" Mickey hissed.

"Shush," Rose growled.

Everyone looked at the Doctor, who raised his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the Santas, threateningly. The Santas backed away, standing closer to each other. Then, they teleported themselves away.

"They've just gone! What kind of rubbish were they? I mean, no offence, but they're not much cop if a sonic screwdriver's gonna scare them off," Mickey scoffed.

"Pilot Fish," the Doctor and the Priestess intoned.

"What?" Rose frowned and looked at the Doctor and the Priestess.

"They were just Pilot Fish," the Doctor explained.

Suddenly, the Doctor coughed, and he threw himself backwards against the wall, his face etched in pain. The Priestess, hurriedly, knelt down next to him and gripped his arms, steadying him, the others following her lead.

"What's wrong?!" Rose shrieked in worry.

The Priestess glared at her. "Hush," she growled. The object of her anger turned to the Doctor. "Now, do you realise why you must listen to me?" She snarled, gripping his chin and tilting his head from side to side as her eyes raked over him, questioningly, looking for any sign that the regeneration had not transpired as expected.

"Okay, okay. I get it," the Doctor winced, his nails digging into the soft flesh of the Priestess' arms. He started to pant. "I woke up too soon." He breathed, heavily, his head falling onto the Priestess' shoulder. "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy."

More of the Vortex spilled from his mouth.

The Priestess stared at the Doctor for a second, a million different thoughts running between them. The Doctor didn't need their connection to know that she was terrified that something would go wrong with his healing coma and the Priestess didn't need their connection to know that the Doctor's hearts had practically stopped when the Christmas tree had broke into the room. He pressed a sneaky and hidden kiss to the juncture between the Priestess' neck and shoulder, soothing her, significantly. One of the Priestess' hands fell to his side, feeling his warmth through the thick dressing gown and the pyjamas he had on underneath, the heat trailing up her arm and into her mind, a burst of bright and dark reds exploding in her mind.

"The Vortex," rhe Priestess sounded, reading it in the Doctor's mind. "The Pilot Fish could sense the Vortex from a great distance. Therefore, they eliminate the defence…" She looked up at Jackie, Mickey and Rose, noting that the latter didn't seem to appreciate the intimacy in the touches between the Doctor and the Priestess. "…Which is you," She explained. "And they take him away. They are aware that I would attempt to stop them, therefore, they would take me as well." She hid a smirk when she heard the Doctor's answering growl echo through her very being.

The Doctor snorted. "They could run their batteries on me for a couple of year-" He lurched forward, groaning.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Jackie cried out.

"My head!" the Doctor exclaimed through gritted teeth.

The Priestess' hands trembled as her fingers touched his temples. "You are experiencing a neural implosion," She said, grimly, and his head fell onto her breast, his eyes closing.

The Doctor nodded against her skin. "I need-"

"What do you need?" Jackie asked, frantically, kneeling in front of him and helping the Priestess steady him.

"I need-" the Doctor began.

"Say it, tell me, tell me-" Jackie said, earnestly.

"I need-"

"Painkillers?" Jackie suggested.

"No aspirin," the Priestess snapped, tensing. "It is toxic to our system. One dose would kill him." She muttered, furiously.

"I-"

"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh, I dunno… Pepto-Bismol?

"I need-"

"Liquid paraffin. Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?" Jackie's voice began to rise and rise until she was practically squeaking.

"I need-"

"Is it food? Something simple? Uh, a bowl of soup? A nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?" Jackie's voice rose, hysterically.

"I need you to shut up," the Doctor growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?" Jackie rolled her eyes.

"He never changes much," the Priestess said, dryly.

The Doctor lurched forward again and leaned against the opposite wall, the Priestess holding him up the best she could, Jackie making sounds of sympathy.

"We haven't got much time. If there's Pilot Fish, then-" the Doctor panted, and he and the Priestess shared a worried and fearful look. Suddenly, the Doctor took an apple out of his dressing gown pocket. "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?"

"Oh, that's Howard, sorry," Jackie said, apologetically.

"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?" the Doctor's brow furrowed.

"He gets hungry."

The Priestess looked at the apple, confusedly. "He becomes hungry in his sleep?"

"Sometimes," Jackie shrugged.

The Doctor suddenly shouted with pain again and sank to the floor, grimacing.

"Brain… collapsing…" The Doctor breath caught in his throat. He grabbed a hold of the Priestess' arms again, holding them, tightly, speech becoming a huge effort for him. "P-the Pilot fish, Priestess. The Pilot Fish mean... that something-something-" He took deep breaths. "Something's coming. Be careful," he said, earnestly.

He collapsed, face-first, into the Priestess' lap.

* * *

The Priestess knelt next to the Doctor on his bed, tucking the covers under his body to keep him warm and wiped his sweaty forehead with a flannel, his body trembling under her ministrations.

Rose watched them from the doorway, an unfathomable and jealous look passing her pretty features, her eyes tinged with green. She just didn't understand why the Doctor reached for the Priestess like that every single time. For people who claimed to be just friends, even best friends, they sure were intimate with each other. She tried to comfort herself that it was probably the Doctor needing another person from his species through something like this, someone who would understand what he was going through. It didn't have to be anything more serious. The Doctor and the Priestess were just friends. That's all.

Mickey passed the room, holding a laptop in his hands. He looked at Rose and the Priestess, the latter nodding and motioned for him and Rose to go ahead.

* * *

Mickey set up his laptop in the living room.

"Jackie, I'm using the phone line. Is that all right?" Mickey called out.

Jackie held up two cups of tea. "Yeah. Keep a count of it." She plonked a cup of tea down next to Mickey. "It's Mickey. Christmas day."

Rose came in and sat on the arm of a chair and Jackie gave her the cup of tea. After a few moments, the Priestess walked into the living room, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Any change?" Jackie asked her, worriedly.

The Priestess shook her head, wearily. "His condition has deteriorated. He has only one heart beating now," she murmured.

And if she glared at Rose with accusation, Rose glared right back. Both of them knew that it was Rose's fault that the Doctor had awoken in the first place. Even if Rose was reluctant to admit it, she knew in the deepest of her heart that she had caused the Doctor's worsening condition.

Jackie sighed and sat in one of the chairs.

" _Scientists in charge of Britain's mission to Mars have re-established contact with the Guinevere One space probe. They're expecting the first transmission from the planet's surface in the next few minutes."_

" _Yes, we are. We're-we're back on schedule. We've received the signal from Guinevere One. The Mars landing would seem to be an unqualified success."_

" _But is it true that you completely lost contact earlier tonight?"_

" _Yes, we had a bit of a scare. Guinevere seemed to fall off the scope, but it-it was just a blip. Only disappeared for a few seconds. She's fine now, absolutely fine. We-we're getting the first pictures transmitted live any minute now. I'd better get back to it, thanks."_

"So, what are Pilot Fish?" Mickey looked up at the Priestess, curiously.

"Pilot Fish are small scavenger fish that swim alongside sharks in the seas. I believe the analogy the Doctor was attempting to make was that if the Santas have already arrived, something much greater and more powerful than them are arriving. The Santas are working amongst a larger predator," the Priestess explained, grimly.

"So… the shark is coming," Rose said, slowly.

The television went slightly static.

"How close?" she asked the Priestess, looking up at her, fearfully.

"The Pilot Fish are never at a great distance from the predator. Very soon," the Priestess murmured.

There was a distorted image on the television screen.

"So, it's close," Rose said, finally.

Jackie frowned at the image of the television. "Funny sort of rocks."

The Priestess paled and took a step closer to the television, the others watching her move. "Those are not rocks," she growled.

The image started to become clearer. The Priestess edged towards the television, waiting with dread.

" _... coming live from the depths of space on Christmas morning._ "

The image was thrown into clarity. It was a rock-like alien with pale skin, which roared, viciously, at them. Jackie, Mickey and Rose gasped and jumped backwards, while the Priestess' face went whiter than it was before.

"Sycorax," the Priestess snapped, her eyes glancing at the closed door of the Doctor's room.

" _The face of an alien life form was transmitted live tonight on BBC1."_

" _On the 25th of December, the human race has been shown absolute proof that alien life exists."_

" _These remarkable images have been relayed right across the world."_

* * *

Rose was sitting on the sofa.

"Rose," Mickey called out.

Rose rushed over to him where he was sitting in front of his laptop, and perched on the edge of his chair.

"Take a look, I've got access to the military. They're tracking a spaceship. It's big, it's fast, and it's coming this way," Mickey said, darkly.

A picture of the spaceship was displayed across the computer's screen.

"Coming for what, though? The Doctor?" Rose wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Mickey shrugged. "The Priestess too? Maybe it's coming for all of us."

The image of four of the aliens came onto the screen and they began to speak in an alien language.

"Have you seen them before?" Mickey asked, looking over at Rose.

Rose shook her head. "No."

"They are Sycorax," the Priestess said from behind them, making them look over at her. "A race of superstitious warriors and intergalactic plunderers. They have technology to detect energy signatures and identify advanced technology. That may be the reason why they are attempting to invade Earth. They have detected the TARDIS and are invading to capture it."

"Wait, ' _invade'_?" Rose's eyes widened.

The Priestess raised a delicate eyebrow. "Rose, you have travelled with the Doctor long enough to realise that not every alien race that you meet are gracious to the human race. In fact, unfortunately, to many alien races, the human race is towards the bottom end of the evolutionary hierarchy." She held her hands up in front of her when she saw them glare at her. "I never said that I agree with them. I have a healthy amount respect for the human race," she said, loftily.

"So, what do we do?" Mickey asked, slowly.

"We must wait and see what the Sycorax have come for. I believe it is for nefarious purposes, but there is no intelligence in making a move against them if we do not know what they are seeking. It may not be the TARDIS, it may be some resource they have detected or are in need of that is on Earth."

"Can you understand them?" Mickey asked the Priestess.

Rose shook her head before the Priestess could answer. "I don't understand what they're saying. The TARDIS translates alien languages inside my head, all the time, wherever I am. I don't know why it's not doing it now. Must be the Doctor. Like he's part of the circuit, and he's... he's broken," she said, mournfully.

"The Doctor and the TARDIS are inextricably linked, yes," the Priestess said, slowly. "The TARDIS translation matrix is not working because she was damaged slightly, coming back from Satellite Five." _And you._ The unsaid words were directed at Rose with just the slightest bit of bitterness. "The TARDIS still needs recovery time. And the Doctor's condition is not aiding her recovery." She muttered.

"But can _you_ understand it?" Mickey asked her. "You've gotta know alien languages on your own, right?"

The Priestess nodded. "I can understand Sycoraxic. I might need a minute." She straightened, staring at the television with calculative eyes. " _People… you belong to us. To the Sycorax. We own you. We now possess your land, your minerals, your precious stones. You will surrender or they will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax…_ oh, something that translates as they are 'wonderful'," She finished.

"Wait, 'they will die'? Who's 'they'?" Rose frowned. She looked at the Priestess.

The Priestess shrugged. "I cannot say."

* * *

Jackie had fallen asleep beside the Doctor, her head on a pillow the Priestess had placed under her head for her. Rose watched the three of them, leaning against the doorframe. Mickey came and stood next to her. She glanced at him and then back at the Doctor and the Priestess. She walked away with a huff and back into the kitchen.

"The Doctor wouldn't do this. The old Doctor. The proper Doctor. He'd wake up. He'd save us," Rose said, her voice shaking slightly.

"You really love him, don't you?" Mickey asked, hoarsely, his eyes reflecting his pain.

Rose closed her eyes and sighed, placing her arms around Mickey.

The Priestess, who had turned around the corner of the kitchen in time to hear what Mickey's question was, closed her eyes in dread and pain. It was hard for any creature to hear that someone else was in love with _their_ significant other, let alone for someone who had already known that something like this would happen. She didn't think the Doctor reciprocated Rose's feelings, she was somewhat sure of that.

But the Priestess and the Doctor hadn't seen each other for years. And while the Doctor had been travelling, the Priestess had remained on Gallifrey with their children and grandchildren. She had never thought for one second the Doctor had betrayed her by being unfaithful, but, now, the Doctor had thought she had _died_. Maybe his feelings would change for her. People were capable of great change, especially in the face of great trauma. The Doctor may decide to remain with the Priestess out of some stupid sense of obligation to her. The thought sliced into her hearts and made her dizzy for a brief moment. _No… the Doctor loves me. He has told me so on so many occasions. He loves me. He would not forsake me for anyone._

"He _cannot_ awaken," the Priestess murmured, coming into the kitchen. She watched as Rose and Mickey broke apart and leaned against the counter. "If he rises now, his second heart will stop, and he will die." She said, simply, her face not betraying a single ounce of emotion.

She went over to the kettle and poured herself another cup of tea, intent on placing it near the Doctor so that the tannin would aid in his recovery.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked, frowning at the Priestess. "Are you making tea?" she asked, incredulously.

"Yes," the Priestess murmured, holding the cup in her slender fingers. "I must give it to the Doctor."

Rose stared at the Priestess, strangely. "Are you mad? Don't be stupid! What's tea gonna do?" She snatched the cup off the Priestess and dumped the brown liquid into the sink, much to the Priestess' astonishment and fury.

"Rose, I am sorry, but is there some issue between us that I should be aware of?" The Priestess asked, bewildered and slightly annoyed. Her petite frame was small, but fearless. "I grow weary of the sniping and the glares. If there is something you wish to say to me, I would rather you just tell me," she growled.

"You didn't save him," Rose snapped. "What's the use of being a Time Lord if you couldn't save him?"

"It's Time _Lady_ ," the Priestess corrected. "And you believe that anyone could have saved the Doctor from his fate? You believe you could have done better?" The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "You are the cause of his condition. You did not think when taking the Time Vortex into your body. It could have just as easily killed you as taken you back to Satellite Five. In fact, if the Doctor had not taken the Vortex from your body at the time he did so, you would have died. You have spent every moment since we came back to Earth pitying yourself when the Doctor is lying there, _dying_ , because of _you_." She growled, pouring every single emotion she had repressed since the Doctor had first fallen unconscious. "So, do not dare blame _me_ for what has happened here. I have done _nothing_ but attempt to keep him safe."

Rose looked shaken and stunned. "I-I…" she stammered.

"And now, you have the _nerve_ to question _me._ The only one in the known universe who has a chance of bringing the Doctor back to his original state and you are questioning _me_? The only one in the universe who could possibly understand what the Doctor is experiencing is me." The Priestess took in a sharp breath. "You cannot imagine what the Doctor and I have gone through… _together_. We have experienced all of the highs and lows _anyone_ could experience. Do you believe you have a greater capacity to understand what he is going through?"

Her voice was dangerous and sharp and could cut through ice if she wanted it to. Rose stared at her, open-mouthed, surprised at the extent of the vitriol spilling from her lips. She had never known the Priestess to be this obvious when it came to her emotions. In fact, she had to admit that it scared her, slightly. The Priestess' eyes were actually black against her caramel-coloured skin, and they burned. She was shockingly aware that the Priestess was _not_ human. It was then and there that she knew that the Priestess was just as much in love with the Doctor that she was. And that it _would_ be a competition between them, one that she had to win.

"Do you remember after the Doctor found me? Do you remember that I fell unconscious immediately after our encounter with the Dalek? That was because my body was undergoing a healing coma, which sometimes occurs after traumatic events or regenerations. I had been in danger since the moment I regenerated, and it was not until after the Dalek was destroyed that I had a chance to heal myself. That is exactly what the Doctor is experiencing now. He needs this recovery. He _deserves_ this recovery. For everything that he has done for you, for everything he has done for this _planet_ , he deserves this time now to heal himself," She growled. "So, enough with your self-pity and might I ask you to do something _useful_ that will actually _aid_ his recovery."

She spun on her feet, her hair whipping around her face, and walked out of the kitchen.

Rose and Mickey stared after her, their jaws gaping.

* * *

On the balcony of flats, a woman pursues a man who walks as though he has been hypnotised.

"What is wrong with you? Jason? Jason?" the woman called out.

Rose and Mickey popped their heads out the door of Jackie's flat.

"Sandra?" Rose frowned.

"He won't listen! He's just walking, he won't stop walking!" Sandra said, hysterically, staring after Jason. "There's this sort of... light, thing. Jason? Stop it!"

Rose took a few cautious steps forward, followed by the Mickey.

"Right now!" Sandra shouted, desperately.

Rose and Mickey looked over the balcony and the Priestess stood in the doorway. On the ground below, there were dozens upon dozens of people hypnotised by the same blue light that was affecting Jason. The hypnotised people positioned themselves on the very edges of rooves of the high-rise buildings. Loved ones were trying to hold them back, trying to make them listen.

"Jason, I'm talking to you! Just stop!" Sandra called out.

The Priestess, Rose and Mickey came to the edge of the roof too, looking around, wondering what was happening to the hypnotised people. When the hypnotised people reached the edge, they just stood and wait, as though waiting for a signal from somewhere.

"What's going on? What do we do?" Mickey asked, worriedly.

"Nothing. There's no-one to save us. Not anymore," Rose said, mournfully.

"Rose, stop talking," the Priestess snapped, having had enough the young girl's pessimism and self-absorption. "It is blood-control. The Sycorax are known for that particular brand of technology. They control a section of the human population by blood type. The Sycorax must have found this blood type, somehow. Perhaps through the space probe, Guinevere One, that the government sent into space. They must have sent blood up with it." Her eyes scanned the hypnotised people. "Leave them. They will not jump." She said, loftily, much to Rose and Mickey's surprise and worry, and descended back into the flat.

* * *

Jackie, Rose and Mickey stood, watching Harriet Jones on the television, as the Priestess watched, carefully, from some distance away.

" _I would ask you all to remain calm. But I have one request: Doctor. If you're out there... we need you."_

Jackie turned to look at Mickey and Rose. Rose chose not to look back at her, but looked as though she was trying her hardest to fight the tears.

" _I don't know what to do. But if you can hear me, Doctor..."_ The Priestess turned away. _"If anyone knows the Doctor, if anyone can find him... the situation has never been more desperate."_

Rose walked to the Doctor's room, a trail of tears running down her cheeks.

" _Help us. Please, Doctor. Help us."_

Rose leaned against the doorframe, watching the Doctor's lifeless form. She was now sobbing, taking great gulping breaths into her lungs, the tears flooding down her cheeks. Jackie came over to her and took her arm, gently. Rose turned to her and put her arms on Jackie's shoulders, her eye screwed up against the tears.

"He's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's left me, mum. He's left me, mum..." Rose whispered, choked with tears.

Rose sobbed even harder. Jackie placed a kiss on her forehead and embraced her. Rose cried onto her shoulder, the tears soaking Jackie's clothes.

"It's all right... I'm sorry..." Jackie murmured, her voice gentle and soothing.

At that precise moment, the windows smashed, showering the floor with glass, the ground shaking, violently, from the force of the crash. Mickey walked outside the flats, treading on the broken glass, and looks up at the sky, the Priestess following him. Everywhere else, people did the same. Rose and Jackie joined Mickey and the Priestess, staring upwards. As they watched, a huge spaceship floated into view, obscuring the sun. People everywhere gazed up at it, open-mouthed. It hovered right over central London. The Priestess stared at it for a few moments with undecipherable eyes, before she spun on her feet and walked back into the flat.

The Priestess rushed into the Doctor's bedroom.

"Very well, I believe it is time for us to leave," the Priestess called out to the others, loudly, throwing the duvets off the Doctor. "Jackie, collect your things and some food. We must leave."

"Where to?" Mickey asked, frowning.

"The TARDIS is the safest place for us at this moment."

"What're we gonna do in there?" Jackie asked, incredulously.

"Hide," the Priestess said, darkly.

"Is that it?!" Rose screeched.

The Priestess rounded on them, her eyes hard and her mouth set in a firm line, looking every inch of a Time Lady and the woman who had raised the _Doctor's_ three children as she could muster.

"There is a spaceship in the sky at this very moment, ready to invade whenever it wishes. The blood-control will not work on the humans. Your sense of self-preservation is too great for mere hypnotism to work. I am authorised to negotiate with the Sycorax, but they are entirely too unpredictable. They are warriors and they would kill us all before I could even begin to speak laws and charters that would delegitimise their invasion. Now, if the Doctor were well, he would want me to make sure that all of you are safe. The safest place on Earth at this moment is the TARDIS. If you do not wish to follow me, by all mean, stay here and die, I will not compel you. However, if you choose to listen to reason and intelligence, instead of your obstinacy, go. _Now_ ," she snapped.

Jackie left the room, hurrying to the kitchen. The Priestess heaved the Doctor up, allowing him to rest against her side, one of her arms wrapped around his waist. She motioned over to Mickey to take his other side, so that it would easier for her.

* * *

Mickey and the Priestess carried the Doctor out the front door, Rose behind them. Jackie followed them, struggling with several shopping bags clutched in her hands. She dropped one of them and kneeled to pick it up again.

"Mum, will you just leave that stuff and give us a hand?" Rose snapped.

"It's food! You said we need f-"

"Just leave it!" Rose shouted.

The Priestess and Mickey carried the Doctor towards the TARDIS. Jackie and Rose followed them, Jackie still holding onto the shopping bags, dropping one of them on her way. The Priestess and Mickey carried him through the double doors, Mickey starting to struggle with the effort. Rose followed them inside. Jackie, hurriedly, also made to do so. She paused for a moment, looking around before coming in, completely.

"Any chance you can fly this thing?" Mickey asked after he and the Priestess had placed the Doctor on the grill, face up.

"I could, but it would only make her worse. And a TARDIS when she's unwell is not safe with passengers." The Priestess shook her head. She turned to Rose, sensing that she had opened her mouth to talk. "And if you attempt what you did earlier, I will personally end you," she growled, dangerously. "That action alone almost ripped the universe apart, I will not allow for a second time."

"So, what do we do? Just sit here?" Mickey asked, slowly.

"That's as good as it gets," Rose said, frustrated, alternating between glaring at the Priestess and giving the Doctor annoyed looks.

Jackie held up a thermal flask. "Right, here we go. Nice cup of tea."

The Priestess took the flask, gratefully. "Thank you, Jackie," she said, softly.

"Hmm, the solution to everything…" Rose said, sarcastically.

The Priestess and Jackie both glared at her, both fed up with Rose's constant pessimism.

"Now, stop your moaning. I'll get the rest of the food," Jackie told them before leaving the TARDIS.

Rose leaned against the console and watched as the Priestess knelt beside the Doctor.

"Tea. Like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British," Mickey commented. The Priestess remained silent, her eyes focused on the Doctor, and Rose did not answer. Mickey looked at the monitor attached to the TARDIS. "How does this thing work? It picks up TV, maybe we could see what's going on out there. Maybe we've surrendered." He pressed a few buttons. "What do you do to it?"

The Priestess jumped to her feet and, smoothly, moved over to the monitor, flicking a few switches on her way and clapping her hands when the monitor changed to static. Her hands reached for the side of the monitor, her fingers twisting over the dials.

* * *

Jackie came out of the doors of the flats, holding more shopping bags in her hands. She began to walk towards the TARDIS, when it disappeared in a flash of light towards the sky.

"Rose?" Jackie called out. The TARDIS disappeared. "Rose!" she shouted in surprise and fear.

Jackie stared up at the spaceship hovering in the sky, her hands shaking with fear.

* * *

 **A/N** : As promised, there were a lot of sparks between the Priestess and Rose in this chapter. If I'm being honest, I didn't exactly like the way Rose acted in this episode. She was entirely too bitchy and self-absorbed. I won't call her whiny, but she was constantly putting people down in this episode and focusing on how the Doctor had abandoned _her_. So, I had the Priestess pull her down a few pegs. Don't worry, this is just the start of their dangerous relationship. It will get worse and better in future chapters.

I had a lot of the Priestess going off at Rose because I don't think the Priestess would be one to take any crap from some human girl, especially when she feels that she is the only one entitled to the Doctor. The Priestess is quite possessive and I think it shows in this chapter. Also, there were some hints about a possible break up of the Doctor and the Priestess in the future. You never know, it might happen ;)

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to let me know what you think!

 **Reviews** :

 _CaptainWilliamsN7_ : Thank you so much!

 _rebelforcauses_ : Thank you!

 _time-twilight_ : I don't want to spoil anything about the future of this story, because a lot of your questions are answered in the story, but I can categorically say that the Doctor doesn't have feelings for Rose.

 _time-twilight_ : Yes, they sure will.

 _NicoleR85_ : I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! Hm, now, I can't promise anything about the marriage revelation, but all I can say is that the Priestess has her reasons. She won't be outwardly rude or jealous to Rose, but she doesn't have that great opinion of humanity that the Doctor does, and it shows.

 _AGBreads_ : Thank you!

 _guest_ : I am super sorry about the delay, but I'm so glad you're liking it so far!

 _mxn1fan_ : Thank you so much! Your review was absolutely sweet and I really did appreciate it, and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far!

 _Bladewolf101_ : I think the problem with Rose's character going on from season 2 was that she had a major inferiority complex, most likely associated with the fact that she suddenly had feelings for the Doctor once he regenerated. As such, she feels the need to prove both to everyone else and to herself that she's worthy of the Doctor, and one of the ways she feels like she falls short is intelligence. And considering she's faced with the Priestess, who's this alien creature with intelligence that she could never attain and has things in common with the Doctor that she can never relate to. It's got to eat at her, and she's lashing out because all she sees is that she has feelings for the Doctor, the Priestess is a threat and she seems to be winning already even before Rose realised it was a competition. I like your point about the gun. Considering how much the Doctor warned her about the parallel universes, Rose building and using that dimension cannon was fucking stupid and reckless and I wouldn't be surprised if she inadvertently helped Davros with the whole reality bomb situation. And hopefully, yes, this series should go up to the 13th Doctor, although who knows how many years it'll take me to write it!

 _cphfflover_ : Thank you!

 _MoonyKunai_ : Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the Priestess and the Doctor's relationship.

 _Amber0522_ : No, the Doctor won't cheat on the Priestess. Physically speaking. But I'm a firm believer that emotional infidelity is just as bad, and there might be some of that. River was never going to be an romantic issue, don't worry!

 _Kurosaga Kurugi_ : That was the first chapter of the second story in the series! Thank you!

 _death-becomes-her3_ : Thank you! Well, I intended to be pretty painful, unfortunately.

 _CrystalVixen93_ : Thank you!


	3. The Christmas Invasion: Coma Patient

_**A/N**_ : Here's the final chapter for _The Christmas Invasion._ The Doctor will wake up and we'll see more sparks between the Priestess and Rose. Hope you enjoy it!

 _ **Warnings**_ : Everything normal. Fluff mostly.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Christmas Invasion: Coma Patient**

 _Jackie came out of the doors of the flats, holding more shopping bags in her hands. She began to walk towards the TARDIS, when it disappeared in a flash of light towards the sky._

" _Rose?" Jackie called out._

 _The TARDIS disappeared._

" _Rose!" she shouted in surprise and fear._

 _Jackie stared up at the spaceship hovering in the sky, scared._

Mickey and Rose were listening to the bleeping sound the TARDIS computer was making, while the Priestess attended to the Doctor.

"Maybe it's a distress signal," Mickey offered.

"It is," the Priestess said, flatly.

Rose snorted. "Fat lot of good that's gonna do."

Mickey glared at her. "Are you gonna be a misery all the time?"

"Yes," the Priestess said, loftily. Rose turned to glare at her and the Priestess' eyes widened. "Oh, I apologise, did I say that aloud?"

Mickey chuckled at the affronted look on Rose's face. "You should look at it from my point of view, stuck in here with your mum's cooking."

Rose looked around, an errant thought coming to her mind. "Where is she?" Mickey shrugged and Rose jumped to her feet. "I'd better go and give her a hand. It might start raining missiles out there."

The Priestess looked up, confused. "Why would there be missiles? The Sycorax are an advanced race of warriors. Their weapons are so much more destructive than missiles."

"Tell her anything from a tin, that's fine," Mickey told Rose.

Rose scowled, crossing her arms over chest. "Why don't you tell her yourself?"

Mickey shook his head. "I'm not that brave."

Rose paused with her hand on the door handle. "Oh, I don't know…" she murmured to herself. She looked at him and smiled, opening the door after her.

Mickey smiled back.

As soon as Rose stepped foot outside the door, she was grabbed by one of the Sycorax. She screamed. Mickey looked around, hearing the scream echo through the TARDIS doors. The Priestess looked up, worriedly, one of her hands stroking over the Doctor's hair.

"Rose?" Mickey called out, hesitantly, and exchanged a worried look with the Priestess.

He made to follow her and he dropped the thermal flask of tea in his hurry. The flask hit the floor with a clang and the tea spilled all over the grilling near the Doctor's head, leaking everywhere.

"Get off!" Rose shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Get off me!"

Mickey ran out of the TARDIS doors, staring around at their surroundings in amazement, wondering how they had managed to find themselves on the Sycorax ship, seeing as they were in the Powell Estate not minutes before. The Priestess jumped to her feet and rushed outside, intent on helping Mickey and Rose, realising that the Sycorax must have teleported them onto their ship.

"The door!" the Priestess shouted at Mickey.

Her dark eyes were wild and fearful, finding the Doctor's fallen form on the grilling through the open doors of the TARDIS. She would die before she would allow the Sycorax to get their hands on the Doctor or the TARDIS.

"Shut the door!"

Mickey dashed to the door and slammed them shut before he was grabbed by one of the Sycorax, both he and Rose shouting out, the Priestess remaining silent as the Sycorax advanced on her.

* * *

The Doctor was left alone inside the TARDIS, still a lifeless corpse on the floor, his face paler than usual. The tea dripped from the fallen and upturned flask and trickled down through the gaps in the grilling. It dripped onto the wires and the machinery that powered the console, underneath the grilling, causing it to steam upon contact with the warm liquid.

* * *

The head of the Sycorax roared with glee, the onlookers cheering in triumph, and the Priestess stared at him, coolly, her face not betraying a single ounce of fear or worry, her head cocked, slightly, to the side. Harriet stumbled towards Rose, her arms throwing out to the side.

"Rose," Harriet cried out and she threw her arms around the young woman. "Rose! I've got you. My Lord. My precious thing. The Doctor... is he with you?"

"No," the Priestess interrupted, not taking her eyes off the Sycorax. "I am sorry, but the Doctor is indisposed at the moment. But I can do my best to act in his stead." She turned to the side and observed Harriet Jones, her hand reaching to shake. "I am the Priestess. The Doctor and I are very old friends."

"You mean, you're like him?" Harriet clarified and the Priestess nodded. "Can you help us?" Harriet's voice trembled with the force of her fear.

The Priestess pursed her lips, wondering what was the best way to answer this. "I will attempt to save this planet to the best of my ability. But the Sycorax are not exactly known for their willingness to negotiate in the midst of situations such as this. Galactic law would normally protect Earth from this sort of invasion from hostile alien races. And Earth is classed as a Level 5 planet, which places it in a precarious and a protected position."

"Level 5 planet?" Harriet asked, confused. "What does that mean?"

"Level 5 planets refer to relatively primitive planets not yet fully integrated into galactic civilisation. You are currently protected by various Galactic Laws from the Shadow Proclamation. I will attempt to stall the Sycorax for as long as I possibly can, but I am unsure of how long I will be able to do that," the Priestess said, simply.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, the smoke caused by the dripping, steaming tea rose from beneath the grilling and formed a cloud around the Doctor's head, making its way into his airways. He hitched in a deep breath despite his sleep and his lips parted, more the Time Vortex blowing out of his mouth.

* * *

The leader of the Sycorax pointed at the Priestess and addressed her, furiously.

The man at Harriet's side perked up, holding up a device in between his hands. "'The blue woman. She possesses the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet.'"

"But she can't," Harriet protested, looking at the Priestess with worry, uneasily.

"Yes, I can," The Priestess said, flatly, not taking her eyes off the Sycorax leader. "In fact, out of any of us, I have the most authority in these situations."

Rose snorted. "Calm down, would you?"

The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl. "You cannot begin to imagine the knowledge I possess that could save your race from being extinguished. This is not my home and you are not my people. There is nothing to prevent me from walking back into the TARDIS and flying away. There are many things I have learnt from the Doctor and that is one of them." She smiled, bitterly. "I am a Time Lady and I will maintain the peace, not out of some silly affection for your planet or your people, but because it is my duty," she said, coldly.

Harriet grabbed her shoulder, frantically. "But they'll kill you," she pointed out.

The Priestess shrugged her off and took a few steps in front, towards the Sycorax Leader. "That cannot sway me," she said, flatly. _It never does the Doctor_.

The surrounding Sycorax all muttered excitedly, wondering what the woman would say.

"According to Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation, the destruction and invasion of the Level 5 planet is prohibited if no law is broken," the Priestess said, firmly, in Sycoraxic, while Harriet's aide translated her words to the other humans. "I am invoking Convention 15 for you to cease your hostile actions for us to parley."

There were a few moments of stunned silence, and then all the Sycorax burst out into laughs. The Sycorax leader began to speak again.

"You are very, very funny," Alex translated for the Sycorax leader.

"So much for authority, huh?" Rose called out, sarcastically, disgruntled.

The Priestess rubbed her hands together and looked the Sycorax straight in the eye. "Very well, if I cannot make you leave through diplomatic means, then there are always _other_ methods," she purred.

"Who are you, blue woman?" the Sycorax leader growled at her. "You do not have the same physiology as the apes."

"Apes!" Harriet squawked, her offended expression matched by every other human in the vicinity.

The Priestess' straightened, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Do you believe you are clever, threatening us?" the Sycorax leader snarled. "You are but a snivelling child in our midst. We do not fear you."

A smile began to grow on the Priestess' face, her eyes turning cold and her lips vicious. "You would not be saying that if you knew exactly to whom you were speaking to. I have not been a child in a very long time. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find someone older than me."

Suddenly, she smiled to herself, her mind reaching out the Doctor's and noticing that he was about to awake. The few wisps of his mind that were alert reached out and sunk into her mind, desperate for the warmth that had been denied to him when he was in his healing coma.

 _Are you well, beloved?_ she asked, concernedly.

 _I'll be fine, Nikki_. _Can you stall them for a little longer?_ he asked, struggling to get to his feet in the TARDIS.

 _That will be no issue. Take your time,_ she reassured him. She pursed her lips and gazed at the Sycorax leader.

"You have invaded a Level 5 Planet and you are currently holding one third of this planet's population by the means of blood control. Now, if you have any intention of surviving this meeting, I suggest you release the humans in your captivity and leave Earth's atmosphere before I truly become angry," she said, her eyes, nor her face betraying a single emotion.

There were a few seconds of stunned silence from the Sycorax as they took in the Priestess' words and her unchanging confidence. All of the Sycorax burst into deep, growly chuckles, which echoed around the spaceship. The Sycorax leader regarded the small woman, carefully.

"You speak with such confidence," the Sycorax growled and Harriet's aide translated the words into English for the humans. The Sycorax seemed to grow more and more angry with every word he spoke. "And now you're going to die."

Rose lurched forwards, terror etched on her face, her hands reaching out to bring the Priestess closer to them and out of the Sycorax's way. She and the Priestess may be on the outs, but the woman was still her friend and she wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

"Leave her alone!" she shouted.

"Don't touch her!" Mickey roared, also shoving himself forwards to pull the Priestess to his side, protectiveness rising in him.

The woman looked so tiny and delicate compared to the rest of them.

All of them, including Harriet and her aide, were restrained by the other Sycorax, while the leader started to circle an unafraid Priestess.

"Did you think you were clever with your threatening words?" the Sycorax growled.

The Priestess smiled. "Actually, I did."

The Sycorax leader chose to ignore her last remark and raised his arms into the air, his voice brimming with passion and anger. "We are the Sycorax. We astride the darkness," he hissed at the Priestess.

The Priestess remained unaffected by his anger. She had been raised on anger. The greatest lesson she had ever learnt was to remain unmoved in the face of anger. It wouldn't do her any good to show that the Sycorax intimidated her, which they didn't.

"If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion..." the Sycorax drawled. "Then your world will be gutted..."

Alex glanced down at his translator. "... Then your world will be gutted..."

Rose and Mickey stared at the Sycorax leader, shock forming on their faces, as they were able to understand the language of the Sycorax without the need for Alex to translate.

The Priestess smiled, realising that the Doctor must have activated the translation circuits of the TARDIS upon his awakening. She felt warmer than she had in a long time. She could feel everything humming around her and she closed her eyes. The Doctor's mind reached out for hers as a comforting presence and the TARDIS' light-hearted song crooned throughout her mind.

"…And your people enslaved," the Sycorax leader finished.

"…And your people enslaved." Alex looked up from the translator. "Hold on, that's English," he said, in awe.

The Sycorax leader's eyes bored into the Priestess and he sneered. "And I will rip your throat out myself."

The Priestess threw her head back and laughed. "I would love to see you try." She bit her lip, her adrenaline kicking in. "You see, you asked me who I was, although you may not recognise me in this body. I did not look remotely similar to this when I last had the opportunity to visit Sycorax. But you may remember me. I am the Priestess. The Lady of Visions. The Last Time Lady in existence." The faces of the Sycorax changed into a mixture of anxiety and fear. " _That_ was what I was looking for," she purred.

"He's talking English," Harriet stammered.

"You are speaking in English," the Priestess tells the Sycorax leader. "You may not have realised this yet, but this is where your invasion ends."

"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile," the Sycorax leader roared.

"That's English," Rose pointed out, stepping closer to the Priestess' side. She looked back at Mickey, Harriet and Alex. "You guys can hear English, yeah?"

They all nodded, furiously.

"Yeah, that's English," Mickey muttered.

"Definitely English," Alex agreed.

"I only speak Sycoraxic," the Sycorax leader snarled, angrily.

Rose's eyes shifted as her mind connected all the dots. She looked at the Priestess for confirmation and the woman nodded, smiling. "If I can hear English... then it's being translated. Which means it's working."

"Which means…" the Priestess finished and swung her hand to gesture at the doors of the TARDIS.

Everyone turned, slowly, around to look at the TARDIS with a mixture of apprehension, interest and concern. The doors swung open and there, standing and smiling in his stripy pyjamas and navy robe, stood the Doctor.

"Did you miss me?" the Doctor grinned.

"Not even remotely," the Priestess snapped, although the beaming smile on her face indicated quite the opposite.

Rose smiled in delight, although her lips turned down at the corners, when she saw the way the Doctor's smile widened when he looked on the Priestess. The Sycorax leader roared in fury and his whip lashed out in the Priestess' direction, who was slightly distracted by the Doctor's presence in her vicinity that she just managed to catch it out of the corner of her eye. The Doctor's eyes hardened and he took a step forward, catching the whip at the other hand and yanked it straight out of the Sycorax leader's hand, throwing it to the floor.

"You could have someone's eye out with that!" the Doctor said, playfully, although the Priestess knew better by the hardness of his eyes and his set jaw.

The Sycorax leader roared again and tried to attack the Doctor with his staff, but the Doctor snatched it off him and snaps it over his knee, chucking the broken pieces on the floor.

"You just can't get the staff. Now, _you_ , just wait. I'm busy," the Doctor said, warningly.

The Sycorax stared at him, incredulously, his mind not being able to process what was in front of him. The Doctor pointed at him, threateningly, and then walked over to Mickey.

"Mickey! Hello!" the Doctor cried, joyously, Mickey returning the smile, gratefully. He turned to Harriet. "And Harriet Jones MP for Flydale North! Blimey, it's like 'This Is Your Life'!" He looked over at the Priestess, beaming. "Should've known _you'd_ know what to do. Thanks for the tea! Was all I needed. A good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses..." He walked forwards so that he was standing right in front of her. He looked her in the eyes, seriously, and his voice lowered. "Now... first thing's first... be honest. How do I look?" His dark brown eyes bored into hers.

She pursed her lips, hiding her smile. "Different," she said, flatly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, not pleased with the answer. He wanted to know whether she liked the new face. "Good different or bad different?" he asked, carefully and nervously.

The smile finally broke out onto the Priestess' face. "Definitely good different."

"Am I… ginger?" he asked, seriously.

The Priestess laughed, raising her eyes to the thick brown locks that covered her hair. She had the strangest sensation and itched to run her fingers through the brown tresses, wondering if it was as soft and thick as it looked. "No, this regeneration is a brunette, it would seem."

The Doctor grimaced and turned away, a pout working its way onto his lips. "Aw, I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger," he complained. He looked back at her and winked. "You were a lovely ginger."

The Priestess' lips turned up at the corner. "I was, was I not?" she reminisced, fondly, of the girl she had been in her first and original body. Bright, red curls, pale, porcelain skin and blue-grey eyes, adorable freckles adorning her face.

The Doctor, suddenly, swung around, pointing at Rose, violently. "And you, Rose Tyler, fat lot of good you were, you gave up on me, oh, that's rude. That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude." His shoulders slumped, as he pondered this. "Rude and not ginger."

Rose grimaced, being able to understand the Doctor's side of the story. She shouldn't have given up on the Doctor. He had been alive. She had just been unwilling to accept the new man that had taken _her_ Doctor's place. She didn't understand why the Priestess got such a sweet welcoming from the Doctor, while she got a telling off, however, she did realise that the Priestess had done a majority of the caretaking since they had landed in the Powell Estate. She had just hoped that she would get a better reunion with the Doctor than that.

"To be fair," the Priestess began, loftily. "Even in your other regenerations, you have not been the most tactful of men."

The Doctor held a hand to one of his hearts, mock-hurt. "I'm offended, 'Tess." He didn't miss the way her eyes seemed to brighten when she heard him call her by her nickname.

"I'm sorry," Harriet broke into their conversation, her eyes shifting from the Doctor to the Priestess, nervously. "Who is this?" she asked, carefully.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said, smiling, gently, over at her.

"He is the Doctor," the Priestess said, raising an eyebrow at the Prime Minister.

"He's the Doctor," Rose reassured, knowing how surreal it must be for Harriet to know the Doctor in one body and be faced with him having a completely new face.

"But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?" Harriet looked between the Doctor and the Priestess.

The Priestess laughed.

The Doctor walked towards her. "I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face." He smiled to himself. "Well, new everything."

Harriet's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you can't be."

"Harriet Jones. We were trapped in Downing Street, and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens... wasn't the war... it was the thought of your mother being on her own."

Harriet's eyes widened and she took a step back. "Oh, my God."

The Doctor bent down, slightly, to look her in the eye. "Did you win the election?" he asked, conspiratorially.

Harriet smiled, rather pleased at the reminder. "Landslide majority," she confessed, happily.

"If I might interrupt!" the Sycorax leader roared.

They all spun around, having seemed to have forgotten about the Sycorax and the third of the population currently on rooftops, about to jump.

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry! Hello, big fella!"

"Who exactly are you?" the Sycorax leader asked the Doctor, sharply.

The Doctor fixed a grin on his face, as he considered the Sycorax, carefully. He hadn't forgotten the threat he had levied against _his_ Bondmate. His smiling face didn't deter from the fact that he promised pain. And he would deliver it.

"I demand to know who you are!" the Sycorax leader roared.

"I DON'T KNOW!" the Doctor roared back, imitating the Sycorax leader's rough voice. His body relaxed and his face reformed back into an expression of levity. "See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I-I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested." He shrugged. He walked around, looking at everyone in turn. "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic?" He looked at the Priestess, a devilish smile on his face. "Sexy?" He winked, cheekily.

She rolled her eyes in reply.

 _Oh, come on. You have to give me a better response than that,_ the Doctor complained.

 _Oh, I apologise. What response were you expecting?_ the Priestess asked, dryly. _Oh, you magnificent specimen of a man, drop whatever you are doing and take me to bed immediately._

 _See, now that's more like it_. The Doctor grinned. _I'll be happy to oblige once we're finished here._

 _Thank you for being so considerate, beloved,_ the Priestess said, sarcastically.

"Right old misery? Life and soul? Right-handed? Left-handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob." He glared at the Priestess when she nodded to herself. He noticed the large red button sitting off to the side of the Sycorax spaceship. "And how am I gonna react when I see this?" He pointed up at the button with an insane smile gracing his face. "A great big threatening button." He ran up the stairs, laughing to himself.

"Is he mad?" Rose whispered to the Priestess.

"I suppose, in the scope of human psychology, yes. He is mad."

"A Great Big Threatening Button Which Must Not Be Pressed Under Any Circumstances. Am I right? Let me guess, it's some sort of control matrix? Hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?"

"I believe it is blood control," the Priestess called out to him, rocking back on her heels. "One third of the human population is currently standing on the edge of rooftops, simply waiting for the command." She shot a vicious glare at the Sycorax.

The Doctor nodded, proudly. He glanced at the Sycorax with a beaming grin. "Isn't she smart?" He bent down and pulled open a small door in order to access the controls underneath the button. He noticed the red liquid inside. "That's definitely blood." He dipped his finger in it and slid it over his tongue, the metallic flavour bursting out onto his tastebuds. "Yeah, definitely. Blood. Human blood. A Positive. With just a dash of iron." He waggled his tongue around at the nasty taste and wiped his finger on his dressing gown. "Ah. Blood control…" He looked positively delighted.

 _You will brush your teeth before you kiss me. I do not relish the thought of kissing you with human blood on your lips. A vampire fetish, I do not have. Although, I must admit I saw a delicious looking one on one of those television shows. However, he may have been a vampire-werewolf hybrid. It does not matter, he was positively scrumptious. Those curls and that stubble, very nice._

The Doctor growled, inwardly. _Great, just what I need._

The Priestess laughed in her mind, the low, crooning sound filling both of their minds. _I was teasing, beloved. You know there is no other man for me._

"Blood control! Oh! I haven't seen blood control for years!" He looked over at the Priestess. "You haven't, have you?" She shook her head. "You're controlling all the A Positives!"

The Sycorax's grimace faltered, slightly, watching as the Doctor and the Priestess managed to unravel all of their plans.

"Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. 'Cos... I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Be Pressed... then I just wanna do this."

He whacked the button hard, pressing it down.

"No!" Rose and Harriet shouted in horror.

"You killed them!" Alex called out.

The Priestess and the Doctor smiled at each other, knowingly. The Doctor looked over at the Sycorax leader, carefully.

"What do you think, big fella? Are they dead?" the Doctor asked, slowly.

"We allow them to live," the Sycorax leader said, reluctantly.

The Priestess rolled her eyes.

"Allow?" the Doctor snorted. "You've no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is. Cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis… you can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, you can't hypnotise them to death. Survival instinct's too strong."

"Self-preservation will always defeat cheap mind illusions," the Priestess hummed in agreement.

"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force," the Sycorax leader pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. "Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could. But why? Look at these people." He gestured to the humans, his voice rising with his passion. "These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than… no, hold on..." the Doctor paused, thinking for a moment. "Sorry, that's 'The Lion King'. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"

"Or what?" the Sycorax leader asked, arrogantly.

 _Challenge him to a duel,_ the Priestess advised him. _The Sycorax are a race of warriors. The only way they understand is the way of blood. Challenge him and name your terms upon your victory. I know you do not prefer the way of violence, but this may be the only weakness in their armour to exploit. The leader is arrogant, he will fall._

 _You sure?_ the Doctor asked.

 _I cannot think of any other way, beloved. I am sorry. Violence does not become you, but there does not seem to be any other way to save the humans._

"Or…" the Doctor grabbed a sword from one of the Sycorax guarding Rose and the other humans, running down the steps into the empty floor space in front of the TARDIS, and raised into the air. "I challenge you," he growled.

 _You sure I can do this?_ the Doctor raised an eyebrow, glancing at the Priestess.

The Priestess smiled, knowingly. It had been a long time since she had seen the Doctor fight with a weapon, but she had plenty of faith in his capabilities with a sword. _I have utmost faith in you, beloved._

The Sycorax leader and the other Sycorax burst out laughing again.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that struck a chord. Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?" He looked over at the Priestess, expectantly.

 _Yes,_ the Priestess said, reassuringly.

The Sycorax leader came down the steps and unsheathed his sword from its scabbard. "You stand as this world's champion."

The Doctor shrugged off his robe. "Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up."

 _That is an oxymoron_ , the Priestess pointed out.

 _Now is so not the time to be nitpicking my grammar, love,_ the Doctor chided, fondly.

The Doctor tossed his robe to Rose, who caught it in her hands right before it hit the ground. "So, you accept my challenge? Or are you just a _cranak pel casacree salvak_?"

 _Must you be so vulgar, my love_? the Priestess grimaced.

The Sycorax leader hissed and they both knelt by their swords.

"For the planet?" the Sycorax leader asked.

"For the planet," the Doctor said, grimly.

They stood up and faced each other, holding their swords at the ready. They, then, ran at each other and began to fight. After a few seconds, the Doctor was thrown aside, and the Sycorax leader laughed. The Doctor, however, straightened himself up, winking at the Priestess' worried look, and they began to fight again. The Sycorax leader swung his sword at the Doctor.

"Look out!" Rose cried out, worriedly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, that helped. Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks."

"Stop being rude," the Priestess chided.

Their swords clashed again and Rose gripped onto the Priestess' hand, terrified.

"Do not fear, Rose. The Doctor is very adept at sword fighting. He will win this fight, I swear to you," the Priestess hummed, her hand tightening around Rose's, the young girl grateful suddenly for the reassurance that the Priestess provided.

The Doctor led the Sycorax leader up the stairs.

"Bit of fresh air?" the Doctor growled.

He hit a button and a door opened, leading to a platform on the outside of the spaceship. All of the others followed them out onto the spaceship, the swash-buckling continuing. The Sycorax leader managed to catch the Doctor, slightly, on his noise and he groaned in pain. Rose began to run forward, but the Priestess pulled her back before she could reach the Doctor.

"Do not interfere, Rose!" the Priestess warned. "If you invalidate the Doctor's challenge, the Sycorax will win the planet by default."

The Doctor wiped his nose, glancing at the Priestess, gratefully, and he and the Sycorax leader ran towards each other, the sounds of clashing metal filling the air. They both grimaced with the effort, and the Doctor is knocked backwards to the ground. Taking advantage, the Sycorax leader slashed at the Doctor's wrist, succeeding in chopping his hand off, up to the elbow. The Doctor watched it drop, and looked back at the Sycorax leader, looking rather stunned and annoyed.

The Priestess cried out in shock and fury and horror, watching as the severed limb fell off the side of the spaceship, sword and all. The rational part of her mind was screaming that the Doctor's regeneration cycle would kick in and his hand would regenerate. But the irrational part only registered the fact that her _Bondmate_ 's hand was just sliced off and she felt her stomach drop down to her feet, her heart aching with the thought of his pain. Her mind reached out for his, desperately, needing the touch of his mind on hers to soothe her for the time being, and she resisted the urge to sob out loud.

 _I'm fine, love. Remember, I'm still in between regenerations. My hand will regenerate,_ the Doctor said, reassuringly.

 _But it must have hurt you._ She whispered. _I cannot stand the idea of you in pain_.

 _I know, love. I'm fine. Barely even stung_.

 _Why do I feel as though you are simply saying that for my benefit?_ the Priestess gritted her teeth.

 _Of course I am. If it makes you feel better, you can take care of me after I finish this._ He resisted the urge to waggle his eyebrows in her direction.

"You cut my hand off," the Doctor said, addressing the Sycorax leader.

"YAH!" the Sycorax leader screamed, triumphantly. "Sycorax!"

The Doctor jumped to his feet. "And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. 'Cos quite by chance... I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy... to do this." He held up the stump of his arm, and before the eyes of all of the observers, the flesh reformed.

"Witchcraft," the Sycorax leader hissed.

The Priestess and the Doctor smiled in unison. "Time Lord," they corrected.

Rose took one of the Sycorax's swords out of its sheath.

"Doctor!" she called out.

The Doctor turned around to face her and she tossed it to him. He caught it by the handle and spun around, looking over at Rose.

"So, I'm still the Doctor, then?" he asked, just slightly nervously.

Rose smiled. "No arguments from me!" she called out, cheerfully.

The Doctor turned back to the Sycorax leader. "Wanna know the best bit? This new hand..." His voice lowered. "It's a fightin' hand," he drawled in a Texan accent.

The Doctor rushed at the Sycorax leader and the fight commenced once more. They clashed swords for a few more moments, then the Doctor jabbed him hard in the stomach with the hilt of the sword. The onlookers winced and the Sycorax leader groaned in pain. The Doctor repeated the action twice more and the Sycorax leader fell to the ground. The Doctor pointed the tip of the blade of the sword at his throat.

"I win," the Doctor growled, triumphantly.

"Then kill me," the Sycorax leader choked out.

 _No, death will not be the answer,_ the Priestess warned the Doctor. _Force him to swear a champion's command. He and the Sycorax will leave the Earth and never attempt an invasion again._

"I'll spare your life if you'll take this champion's command: leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," the Sycorax leader growled, reluctantly.

The Doctor gritted his teeth and jabbed the sword, nearing the Sycorax leader's throat with the blade. "Swear on the blood of your species," he snarled.

"I swear," the Sycorax managed to say, his breathing laboured.

The Doctor smiled. "There we are, then! Thanks for that! Cheers, big fella!" he said, lightly, and jabbed the sword into the ground.

"Bravo!" Harriet cried out, clapping her hands together.

Rose rushed forward before the Priestess could do so, reaching the Doctor with a beaming smile and the navy robe clutched in her hands. "That says it all. Bravo!"

The Doctor laughed. "Yeah! Not bad for a man in his jim-jams!" Rose helped the Doctor place the robe back on. "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here?" He dug into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a satsuma. Rose giggled. "A satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mother's, he does like his snacks doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas?" They began to walk to the door, the Doctor easily falling into step with the Priestess. He threw the satsuma into the air and caught it again. "You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?"

Behind them, the Sycorax leader got to his feet. He picked his sword, roaring and ready to charge. Without even turning around, merely glancing at the Priestess once to see her reaction, the Doctor lobbed the satsuma at a switch on the side of the ship, causing the ground beneath the Sycorax leader to slide open. He tumbled to Earth, screaming. The Priestess watched as the Doctor's smiled faded from his face.

"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man." The Doctor looked her in the eye, his eyes grim.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess stood in front of the TARDIS with Rose and the others, the Doctor turning to address the remainder of the Sycorax.

"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet... when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this: It. Is. Defended," he growled, lowly.

The TARDIS, the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Harriet, Mickey and Alex were immediately teleported away.

The group materialized on the street that the TARDIS had been parked when they had been sent up to the Sycorax ship.

"Where are we?" Rose asked, looking around.

"We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just round the corner, we did it!" Mickey cheered and they laughed and jumped up and down in glee.

"Wait…" the Priestess said, impatiently, holding a hand out, her and the Doctor watching as the spaceship engines started up.

The ship took flight, back to the stars, and the Priestess and the Doctor grinned at each other.

"Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!" Mickey shouted, gleefully.

Rose jumped onto Mickey's back, her legs locking around his waist. "Yeah! Don't come back!" she cried out in joy.

"It is defended!"

They laughed, happily, and Rose jumped off his back and hugged him. She then ran over to a surprised Alex, and threw her arms around him as well. The Doctor and Harriet turned to each other. She raised her arms, grinning fondly.

"My Doctor." Harriet smiled.

"Prime Minister." The Doctor smiled back.

They hugged, happily.

"Absolutely the same man," Harriet whispered and the Doctor smiled.

They both turned to look up at the sky.

"Are there many more out there?" Harriet asked him and the Priestess.

"Not simply the Sycorax. There are hundreds of thousands of species that exist beyond Earth's atmosphere. And the human race is drawing attention to itself," the Priestess pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. "Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals, this planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed... more and more." He looked at Harriet. "You'd better get used to it."

"Rose!" Jackie cried out, running up to them.

"Mum!"

"Oh! Talking of trouble…!" the Doctor rolled his eyes.

The Priestess smacked him on the arm. "Hush."

Rose ran up to her mother and threw her arms around the older woman.

"Oh, my God! You did it, Rose! Oh!"

The Doctor smiled fondly at the pair and he and the Priestess watched as Mickey joined Rose and Jackie.

"You did it too! It was the tea! Fixed his head!" Rose said.

The Doctor opened his mouth to add that the Priestess had done majority of the work by feeding him tea earlier. The Priestess dug her elbow into his side, making him wince and look at her with confusion. She shook her head, minutely, asking him silently not to bring her into this conversation. He frowned at her, but resolved to ask her later what was going on. He had heard a few comments during his healing coma. He heard some sniping between his Bondmate and the human girl and thought it was just the tension of the moment. He just hoped it wasn't anything more.

"That was all I needed, cup o' tea." The Doctor smiled and rocked back on his heels.

"She said so!" Jackie said, beaming over at the Priestess.

Rose's smile fell ever so slightly, but she turned around and grinned over at the Doctor. "Look at him!" she said, happily.

"Is it him, though? Is it really the Doctor?" Jackie asked, nervously. She caught sight of Harriet standing behind the Doctor and the Priestess and her eyes widened. "Oh, my God! It's the bleeding Prime Minister!"

"Come here, you." The Doctor grinned and held out his arms to Jackie, who threw her arms around him.

The Doctor and Jackie pulled the Priestess into the embrace, the woman joining albeit hesitantly, not used to the extensive physical contact, and Rose and Mickey joined in the group hug.

"Aww...! Are you better?" Jackie asked.

"I am, yeah."

The five of them chatted happily amongst themselves.

"You left me!" Jackie told Rose.

"I'm sorry."

"I had all the food!" Jackie complained.

The Doctor turned around and gave Harriet a brief smile, which she feebly attempted to return.

Suddenly, the five jumped as a beam of green light shot loudly up from the ground nearby. The same green light beamed up from another four points, and the five points met in the middle. The energy shots up into space and hits the spaceship, destroying it to smithereens, the wreckage falling from the sky.

Rose gasped. "What is that? What's happening?"

Jackie covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head, her hands trembling. The Doctor's and the Priestess' faces were grim and unsmiling. They both turned to Harriet in unison and walked towards her, slowly.

"That was murder," the Doctor said, angrily, his brown eyes flashing.

"That was defence," Harriet retorted. "It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

"They were leaving," the Priestess said, coldly, her fists clenched at her sides.

"You said yourself, Doctor. They'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today, Mr Llewellyn and the Major. They were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping and your friend took her time in getting to us. In which case, we have to defend ourselves."

The Doctor scowled. "Britain's Golden Age," he said, disdainfully.

Harriet shrugged. "It comes with a price."

"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to _run_ , as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming: the human race," the Doctor spat.

"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf."

"Then we should've stopped you," the Doctor growled.

"What does that make the two of you, Doctor?" Harriet raised an eyebrow. "Another alien threat?"

The Priestess took a step closer to the woman and smiled. "Are you challenging us?" she purred.

"I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word," the Doctor said, angrily.

"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met. But I don't think you're quite capable of that." Harriet smiled.

The Doctor looked at the Priestess and she pursed her lips, not exactly approving of what he was about to do, but seeing no other way. "No, you're right. Not a single word." He stared down at Harriet, silently, for a few seconds. "Just six."

"I don't think so." Harriet shook her head.

"Six words." The Priestess cocked her head.

"Stop it!" Harriet said, sharply.

"Six," the Doctor said, grimly.

He and Harriet stared at each other for a few more seconds, a battle of wills. Then the Doctor walked around her and in front of the Priestess and approached Alex. He took off his earpiece and spoke to him quietly, so that only the Priestess could hear through her more sensitive hearing capabilities.

"Don't you think she looks tired?" the Doctor asked, quietly, planting the seed of doubt in the aide's mind.

He walked off, pulling the Priestess by the wrist and along with him, leaving Alex looking rather confused and Harriet simply alarmed. They joined Mickey, Rose and Jackie, and the four of them walked off down the street. They could hear Harriet calling the Doctor's name, but none of them chose to turn around, the Doctor looking very grim.

* * *

The Doctor was rifling through the clothes rack in the wardrobe room in the TARDIS and peeked out of the door, gazing at his Bondmate, who was currently on her knees in front of the console, a bucket of soapy water sitting next to her and a wet cloth in her hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked, confused.

"The tea spilt all over the grill. I am cleaning it," the Priestess said, simply, grimacing at the tea stains that now adorned the floor of the TARDIS' console room.

"Well, come and help me, would you?" he called out.

He heard her sigh and grinned to himself when she walked through the door. He picked up what looked like a soldier costume and held it up against himself, staring at his reflection in the floor length mirror.

"Please do not wear that." The Priestess grimaced. "It makes you seem even more eccentric than you already are."

She sighed and walked over to the racks of outfits and her eyes lit up when she saw a brown pinstripe on one of the clothes hangers. She grabbed the suit and a dark brown coat, throwing both of them garments at the Doctor, who smiled with delight and dashed off to change.

After a few moments, the Doctor slowly walked up to her, hands shoved in his suit pockets, newly clad in his pinstripe suit and jacket. He turned around, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"Well, what d'you think?" the Doctor asked the Priestess, who cocked her head, staring at him with unreadable eyes.

She walked over to him, her hand sliding around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder. She was suddenly aware of the striking difference in their heights and turned her face into his arm, kissing him on top of the coat. The Doctor paused in his examination of his face and turned to look at her, his hands falling onto her shoulders, leaning into her.

"You okay, love?" the Doctor asked, worriedly.

The Priestess swallowed hard. "I just… I believed that you…" She closed her eyes, briefly. "I am certainly glad to see you again, alive and well," she whispered.

The Doctor's eyes widened and his grip on her shoulders tightened, guessing what she was trying to say. He leaned down and slanted his lips over hers. The kiss felt different. Her lips were soft and his lips were thin. However, molding his mouth against hers felt as if he were coming home. He heard her whimper into his mouth and pulled her against his body, his arms wrapping around her torso, easily. They slid up her back and managed to cup her head in his fingers, tilting her up, his mouth insistent on hers.

She breathed out and broke away from him, a shine of tears lacing her eyelids. She blinked them away and turned to the side.

The Doctor's voice lowered. "I am certainly glad to see you again as well."

Her breath hitched and she gritted her teeth against the urge to cry.

"Hey, I'm fine, 'Tess," the Doctor murmured, stroking a finger down her cheek. "I'm sorry I scared you." He said, earnestly.

"I am very relieved that you are well now," she whispered, more to herself than anything. She turned to look at him, a soft smile gracing her pale pink lips.

"I believe I will go and change my clothes. I have been wearing this dress for what seems an eternity."

She walked back into wardrobe, leaving the Doctor to wonder if his healing coma had bothered her to the great extent that she would put a mask on for him and hide her emotions from him. He shook his head, absentmindedly. He would have to talk to her about it.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess entered into Jackie's flat, the latter now wearing an icy blue ruffle dress that came to the middle of her thighs with high-heeled black boots covering her feet. They shut the door behind them and the Priestess watched as Rose chose that moment to look up from the table. She watched with an ache in her chest as the Doctor and Rose smiled at each other, fondly. She shook her head and joined her Bondmate at the table.

* * *

The Priestess laughed in glee as the Christmas cracker she pulled with the Doctor banged. The Doctor won, but he gave the cracker over to the Priestess. She reached inside the cracker and pulled out a pink party hat.

"Pink! Lovely!" the Doctor cheered.

She placed the hat on, and the Doctor watched her, smiling, lovingly. Rose pointed towards the television.

"Look, it's Harriet Jones!" Rose said.

They all turned to look at the television, the Doctor taking a pair of glasses from his pocket.

" _Prime Minister, is it true you are no longer fit to be in position?"_ the man on the television asked the Prime Minister.

" _No. Now, can we talk about other things?_ "

The Doctor stood up and put on a pair of thick-rimmed, geeky glasses, looking sternly at the television.

" _Is it true you're unfit for office?"_

" _Look, there is nothing wrong with my health! I don't know where these stories are coming from! And a vote of no confidence... is completely unjustified."_

The phone rang and Jackie went inside into the kitchen to answer it.

" _Are you going to resign?"_

" _On today of all days, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel fine."_ Harriet looked confused and frustrated.

"It's Beth," Jackie said from inside the kitchen. "She says go and look outside."

The Doctor took of his glasses and turned back to the others.

"Why?" Rose frowned.

"I dunno." Jackie shrugged. "Just go outside and look. Come one, shift!" she urged.

They all got to their feet.

* * *

There were many others gathered outside as well, as it appeared to be snowing. They laughed in delight, staring up at the sky. It looked as though there were meteors in the sky. The Doctor and Rose stood beside each other, the Priestess, Jackie and Mickey a short way behind them.

"Oh, that's beautiful. What are they, meteors?" Rose asked, her eyes bright.

The Priestess came up to the other side of the Doctor, her arm brushing against his. "The Sycorax spaceship is breaking up in the atmosphere. This is not snow, it is ash." She said, grimly.

Rose glared over at the Priestess, annoyed that she had ruined her image. "Okay, not so beautiful," she grumbled.

"This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now… everyone saw it. Everything's new."

Rose was determined to look anywhere else but the Doctor, a little worried about what would happen now. The old Doctor was easy for her to read. But she didn't know whether this Doctor would want her to travel with him anymore. Especially since he had the Priestess and his regeneration didn't seem to bother her at all. In fact, they seemed closer than ever. She had to admit that it set her teeth on edge. She bit her lip.

"And what about you? What are you gonna do next?" Rose asked, nervously.

"Well…" The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Back to the TARDIS... same old life."

"Just-just the two of you?" she said, tentatively, not knowing what to make of that.

The Doctor frowned. He looked at her. "Why, don't you wanna come?"

"Well, yeah," Rose admitted.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, not being able to take her at her word. "Do you, though?" he asked, carefully, wanting to make sure that she really did.

"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes bright.

The Doctor shrugged. "I just thought... 'cause I changed..."

"Yeah, I... I thought, 'cause you changed... you might not want me anymore," Rose confessed, nervously. _And because I thought, since you've got the Priestess, you may not want me anymore._

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh, I'd love you to come!" the Doctor said, happily and sincerely.

"Okay!"

They laughed and beamed at each other.

Mickey stared at the ground, despondent. "You're never gonna stay, are you?" He realized that, at this moment, he had lost Rose. She wasn't his anymore.

The Doctor, Rose and the Priestess turned to look at him, the latter sympathising with Mickey immensely. She knew what it felt like to be on the sidelines, waiting for the one you loved to come back home. She had spent many a year waiting for the Doctor to come back from his travels, and she had resented him for it in the past, and some pieces of it remained with her even now. She had looked at him and wondered why she and their family wasn't enough for him. Why did he have to steal a TARDIS and travel around the universe? Why couldn't he just stay with her? She looked at Mickey and saw a much younger her, fresh off her graduation from the Academy, with three young children, desperately needing her Bondmate, but finding him nowhere near her.

Mickey raised his eyes to look at Rose, defiantly.

"There's just so much out there. So much to see... I've got to." Rose tried to make him understand.

" _You should see it out there, 'Nika. You'd love it. I'll take you there, I promise."_

The Priestess smiled as she remembered the Doctor's promise of what seemed like a thousand years ago. It had taken her something like seven hundred years to be given the opportunity to travel around the universe.

Mickey smiled, able to understand just slightly, but his sadness outweighed everything.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Well, I reckon you're mad. The three of you. It's like you go looking for trouble," Jackie said, shaking her head, dismissively.

The Doctor rushed up to her. "Trouble's just the bits in-between." He put an arm around her shoulders and looked up at the sky. "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me."

The Priestess smiled.

"All those planets... creatures and horizons... I haven't seem them yet! Not with these eyes..." He stood in between Rose and the Priestess. "And it is gonna be... fantastic." His eyes twinkled as he looked down at the Priestess.

He felt the sharp pain in his chest when he considered the possibility that his regeneration may be the cause of the Priestess' sudden distant behavior. Out of everyone, he expected the Priestess to understand. She was a Time Lady. She had regenerated before. She had known him since they were eight. She knew him better than anyone. How could she be wary of his regeneration? When he had seen her after those hellish years of thinking she was dead, all that went through his head was the gut-wrenching relief of knowing she was alive. No matter what sort of face she had. She was still his Annika, his Dream Girl, underneath it all. That was the only reason that he said it would be 'fantastic', to get her to remember that he was still the Doctor underneath this new face. He was still her Theta.

The Doctor held out both of his hands to the two women on either side of him.

Rose pointed at his hand, the newly-regenerated one, and smiled, shyly. "That hand of yours still gives me the creeps."

The Doctor grinned wider and wiggled his fingers, encouragingly. She took his hand and all three looked up at the sky for a few minutes. The Priestess stepped closer to him, suddenly desperate for the warmth he would provide, and brushed a few snowflakes off his coat.

"So, any particular destination you would like to visit first?" she asked, playfully, her eyes bright.

The Doctor pursed his lips, thinking. "Um… that way." He pointed, deliberately at a point in the night sky. "No, hold on… that way." He pointed just slightly to the right of his first point.

The Priestess pointed in the same direction. "That way?"

The Doctor looked down at her, watching as her skin seemed to glow in the light of the snow, her hair wild and curly around her face, looking like some Eastern goddess. "Hmm?" he wondered, his eyes searching every inch of her face.

She nodded, encouragingly, leaning into him.

They smiled at each other for a few seconds, any doubt echoing between them suddenly dissolving, as they took comfort in each other's familiar and heartening presence. They gazed up at the night-sky, hand in hand.

 _Maybe I'm just overthinking things_ , the Doctor thought, instead choosing to focus of the way her fingers seemed to entwine with his without a second thought.

* * *

 **A/N** : Oh, thank God this chapter's finished! It took forever just to get through all of this. Now, this is the chapter really does set the tone of the rest of the series. If I portrayed the Doctor and the Priestess having this completely fulfilled and healthy relationship, this story will ruin that image completely. They will have a lot of issues in this story, Rose being only just a tiny part of that.

Another note on this particular episode. It is one of my more favourite episodes for many reasons. I really loved the Doctor's entrance and the sword fight, as well as the very sweet scene between the Doctor and Rose at the end, which I still tried to include here, but I did change the ending.

The Doctor and Rose will have a very close relationship in this story, but I don't want to talk about what each character thinks of the other until later into the story.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _ehluvr3_ : Thank you!

 _Amber0522_ : Nope. Not at all.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much! Yeah, uh, actually, the revelation of the marriage thing will not actually be happening in this story. I had planned for it to come out between the Doctor and Rose during the Journey's End arc.

 _Celaena007_ : Thank you so much! I can assure you, if they do (temporarily) break up, it's not because either of them was unfaithful. Lol, I think I ultimately did give Rose 10.5? Or maybe he just went out on his own and made a life for himself.

 _rebelforcauses_ : Thank you!

 _Kurosaga Kurugi_ : Thank you!

 _TheDoctorsTimeLady_ : Thank you!


	4. New Earth: Pandora

_**A/N**_ : Here's _New Earth_ and the start of everything that is to come in this story! I wonder how the Priestess will react to seeing Jack as the Face of Boe.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Everything normal. Fluff mostly. Some implied sexual content.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 4**

 **New Earth: Pandora**

The Doctor and the Priestess tread over the grilling in the TARDIS. The Doctor slung his jacket over one of the supports and walked slowly up to the console where the Priestess already was, and they began to operate the controls. The engines started to hum.

* * *

Rose, Jackie and Mickey were standing outside the TARDIS, Rose packed and ready to go.

"Have you got everything?" Jackie asked, worriedly, still unsure about sending her daughter on a trip across time and space.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I've got everything, don't worry."

"Be careful," Jackie warned.

The two hugged.

"You've gotta call Mo about that-"

Jackie sighed, exasperatedly. "Oh, never mind Mo..."

* * *

The Priestess pulled a lever and the rotor began to rise and fall. She and the Doctor gazed up at it and then at each other, proud and loving smiles spreading across their faces.

* * *

"Okay, I'm going now. I love you!" Rose exclaimed.

She kissed her mother on the cheek.

"I love you."

"Love you, love you…" Rose chanted, making her way over to the TARDIS doors.

* * *

The Doctor smacked down on the control.

The Priestess scowled and rolled her eyes, grabbing onto his wrist. "Beloved, I have told you a number of times to treat the TARDIS with respect. She will not do as you ask, if you treat her as simply a machine."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Everyone's a critic," he grumbled, pushing away from the console, and allowing her to monitor the controls.

"No." She tipped her head back and gave him a wicked smile. "Just me."

* * *

Rose kissed Mickey goodbye. It was a chaste kiss on the lips that said more to Mickey than Rose realised.

"Love you," Mickey offered.

"Bye." Rose smiled, blithely.

She ran to the TARDIS with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face. She closed the door behind her, shrugging the large rucksack from her shoulders. The Doctor noticed her and they beamed at each, Rose offering a small smile to the Priestess. It was hard for her to look at the Priestess the way she did before the Doctor regenerated. The seamlessness with which the Priestess adapted to the Doctor's regeneration showed her exactly the massive gap that existed between Rose and the Doctor.

It wasn't just the fact that the Priestess posed as a rival for the Doctor's attentions, but because she heightened every single insecurity Rose had about travelling with the Doctor. What would the Doctor want with her when he had the Priestess, who was just as smart as he was, if not more, and who seemed as blind to the universe as Rose felt sometimes? The Doctor had the whole package in the Priestess, the intelligence and the excitement.

The Priestess reached out and pulled a lever with a considerable amount of strength, the TARDIS filling her mind with a number of colours, comfortingly, and making her smile.

"So, where are we going?" Rose asked, bounding over to the console and watching the Priestess and the Doctor operate the controls.

The Doctor grinned at her. "Further than we've ever gone before."

Rose grinned back.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS onto a windy stretch of grass. Rose's mouth dropped open when she caught sight of what was in front of her.

"It's the year five billion and twenty three... we're in the galaxy M87, and this... this is New Earth," the Doctor explained, his face lighting up.

They were standing on a hill, overlooking a great futuristic city, with flying vehicles zooming to and fro.

"That's just... that's-" Rose burst out in laughter, in wonder, not even being able to finish her sentence.

The Doctor nodded. "Not bad. Not bad at all." He grinned.

"That's amazing. I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet!" Rose exclaimed, jumping up and down on her feet, excitedly. "Different sky...! What's that smell?"

The Doctor bent down and tore some grass off the ground, showing it to her. "Apple grass."

"Apple grass...!" Rose groaned in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah!" the Doctor grinned, ecstatic that he was able to draw this sort of response from her.

"That's beautiful!" she exclaimed. She gazed up at the Doctor with a wide, loving smile. "Oh, I love this. Can I just say..." Rose linked her arm through his, staking her pseudo claim. "... travelling with you... I love it."

"Me too." the Doctor grinned, sincerely, making Rose laugh. His eyes, out of habit, searched out the Priestess, who was standing a little behind them, watching their interaction with a blank face.

The Priestess watched them with sadness in her heart. She knew it would begin after the Doctor's regeneration. Rose may not have allowed herself to feel anything for the Doctor in his previous regeneration, but she had no qualms about showing it now. It was hard for her to see some girl so blatantly flirting with _her_ Bondmate right in front of her. And they even looked quite nice together, having this moment with each other that left her quite on the outside.

"Come on!" the Doctor called out and grabbed the Priestess' hand, filling her body and mind with warmth, making her heart lighten from the sadness.

The three dashed off in the direction of the city.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose lay sprawled on the grass, all of them managing to lie on the Doctor's coat.

"So, the year five billion, the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted," the Doctor explained.

Rose smiled. "That was our first date," she said, playfully.

The Doctor smiled in reminiscence, seeing no other meaning in her words and not seeing the hurt that flared in the Priestess' eyes. He leaned back to look at her. "We had chips!"

And they giggled.

"So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up… oh, yeah, they get all nostalgic… big revival movement... but find this place!" the Doctor sat up for a better look at the view. "Same size as the Earth... same air... same orbit... lovely! Call goes out, the humans move in!"

The Priestess stared at the Doctor with interest. "What is the city named?" she asked, curiously.

"New New York," the Doctor said, flatly, resisting the urge to grin.

A teasing smile played on the Priestess' lips.

"Oh, come on," Rose complained, sceptically.

"It is!" He chuckled. "It's the City of New New York!" He paused, thoughtfully. "Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original. So that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York."

The Priestess smiled down at him, her fondness for him increasing.

The Doctor's brow furrowed, noticing her change in mood. "What?" he asked, nervously.

"You will never change, will you?" she said, softly.

The Doctor smiled and reached out, tucking a curl behind her ear. "Oh, I don't know about that. New New Doctor," he said, playfully.

"Hardly for me," the Priestess declared, emphatically, falling back down onto the coat and laughing.

The Doctor smiled down at her like there's nothing else more important in the universe that her laughing on the grass.

Neither of them noticed Rose's deep frown.

* * *

Rose finally stood up. "Can we go and visit New New York - so good they named it twice?" she asked.

The Doctor stood up and held out his hand for the Priestess to take. She slid her hand into his, as if fitting a piece of a puzzle, and he tugged her up.

"Well… I thought we might go there first," the Doctor said, sheepishly, and nodded towards a large building in the distance, on the coast.

 _Do you have an idea what the message concerns?_ the Priestess asked, curiously.

The Doctor shrugged. _No clue. Might as well go and find out._

 _Now, that definitely sounds like you._ The Priestess shook her head, a smile playing on her lips.

Rose frowned, noticing the silent conversation that the Doctor and the Priestess seemed to have. "Why? What is it?"

The Priestess reached down and gripped the Doctor's large coat in her fist, pulling it off the ground, harshly, and helping the Doctor slide his arms into it, the wind fighting them at every turn. He smiled at her, gratefully, his fingers stroking over the curve of her hip, gently.

"Some sort of hospital. Green moon on the side, that's the universal symbol for hospitals," the Doctor explained.

"Hmm!"

"I got this." The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper from the pocket in his coat and showed it to her. "A message on the psychic paper." The words 'Ward 26 – Please Come' were scrawled across the paper. "Someone wants to see us." He tucked it back into his coat.

The Priestess sighed. "I believed that we would just be sight-seeing. It seems I was mistaken," she said, playfully, winking at the Doctor.

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, well, you know me… there's no adventure like one that puts you in mortal danger."

He linked his arm through hers and held out his other one for Rose to take, walking off in the direction of the hospital.

* * *

The second the Doctor stepped foot in the hospital, he started complaining.

"Bit rich coming from you," Rose commented.

"Actually, he has never cared much for hospitals… even when we were young, he avoided them the best he could," the Priestess said, sadly. _Although that never worked._

The Doctor had spent so much of their childhood, either visiting her in the hospital after one of her father's angry outbursts or her visiting him when he inevitably defended her honour against those who would see her as some sort of freak because of her visions. She remembered smoothing back his hair and treating his wounds and he remembered her sobbing in his arms after one of her father's particularly harsh admonishments had struck her hard in her hearts.

As a child, she had always been desperate for her father's approval and that had continued throughout her time in the Academy, until she realised that the Doctor loved her for her, and not for what she could be. Her father had seen her as something to be lorded and worshipped because of her visions. His Dream Child. Their House's status on Gallifrey, coupled with the dramatic visions his daughter had of the Time Lords' past, present and future led him to believe that she was entitled to be so much more than just another Time Lady. But she had never wanted that life. She had never wanted to be Lady President, even though both she and her Bondmate had taken the position for a brief period.

She had wanted a simple life. With her Bondmate, her sons and her daughter. Her father had never seemed to understand her. He had been convinced that the Doctor had been beneath her, but he was hers, irrevocably and absolutely, and she had always been wickedly possessive as a child. She had hoarded everything and she had never been able to part with anything she considered hers.

A wicked smile played on the Priestess' lips, distracting both of them from their dark reminiscence. "However, Doctor, even you must see the irony in your statement."

The Doctor shrugged. "I can't help it! I don't like hospitals, they give me the creeps!"

"The Pleasure Gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next fifteen minutes. Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted." A voice came over the PA.

Rose looked around with interest. "Very smart. Not exactly NHS."

"No shop." The Doctor pouted. "I like the little shop!"

"I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything," Rose pointed out.

The Priestess shook her head. "As the human race evolves, as does disease. It is an ongoing war, from which there is no respite."

A cat nurse walked by and nodded, politely, at Rose and the Priestess, the latter watching the former's reaction with amusement.

"I never believed that I would see feline nurses in hospitals. I had heard of the possibility, but this far exceeds my expectations," the Priestess chuckled.

"Hey, don't stare…" the Doctor joked. "Think what you look like to them, all..." He looked her up and down, the Priestess flushing under the darkness of his gaze. "Silver and brown. That's where I'd put the shop!" He pointed over the Priestess' shoulder. "Right there!"

Whilst Rose was looking, he and the Priestess walked over to the lift and stepped inside.

"Ward 26, thanks!" the Doctor called out.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Rose exclaimed, rushing to the lift, but she was too late and the doors slid close in front of her.

"Oh, too late," the Doctor said, mournfully. "We're going up."

"It's all right, there's another lift." They could hear Rose's voice through the metal doors and her rushing to the other lift, pressing the button on the wall.

"Ward 26. And watch out for the disinfectant," the Doctor called down.

Rose frowned, not being able to hear him clearly. "Watch out for what?"

"The disinfectant!" the Priestess shouted.

"The what?"

"The di-, oh, you'll find out," the Doctor waved off.

* * *

Rose stepped into the lift that she had managed to catch.

She frowned, unsure of how she was supposed to use the lift. "Um... Ward 26. Thanks..." she said, awkwardly, out loud.

The doors closed and the lift proceeded down the levels.

* * *

"Commence stage one… disinfection," the speaker in the lift intoned.

Green lights flashed on and the Doctor and the Priestess were soaked in a shower of disinfectant, both of them standing perfectly calm throughout the outpour of the sanitiser.

* * *

"Commence stage one… disinfection," the speaker in the lift toned.

Rose screamed as the green lights flashed on and she was soaked in the disinfectant, clearly not having expected the disinfectant to pour down on her.

* * *

The Doctor smoothed his hands through his hair and the Priestess reached up with her hands and tightened her ponytail.

* * *

Rose smacked the walls, frantically, with her eyes screwed shut, trying to turn the shower off, in vain.

* * *

A white powder was puffed onto the Doctor and the Priestess, the two barely reacting.

* * *

The same white powder was dropped onto Rose. She squeezed her eye shut, attempting to keep the powder out of her eyes, looking shocked and a bit disgusted.

* * *

The built-in blow-dryer in the lift engaged and blew torrents of air on the Doctor and the Priestess, the former looking as though he was thoroughly enjoying the experience, spreading his large coat out to dry and smiling happily, while the latter watched her Bondmate with fond amusement.

"You are enjoying this entirely too much." The Priestess smiled.

The Doctor shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good shower."

The Priestess stared at him for a moment. She patted him on the chest, ignoring the dampness of his shirt. "Oh, beloved, you are absolutely mad."

The Doctor grinned and leaned down, covering her mouth with his. She whimpered, her delicate hand reaching up and digging into his thick brown locks. Her nails scraped against his scalp and she pressed herself against him, her lust for him setting off sparks in her veins. His arms slid around her waist and he licked into her mouth, hesitantly, as if he was uncertain whether he was allowed to kiss her in this way now.

She broke away, noticing his nervousness, and stared up at him. "Is there something that is bothering you, beloved?" she asked, confused.

"Are you…" He didn't know how to begin what he wanted to say. "Are you really okay with my regeneration?"

The Priestess' eyes widened when she heard those words uttered out loud. The two of them had never before had an issue with regeneration. At least, she had never had a problem with him regenerating, but by the way the Doctor had reacted to seeing her after Van Statten's museum, she didn't think he had major problems with her regeneration either. She didn't understand why he would think she had a problem now.

"I do not understand. Why would I not be accepting of your regeneration, Doctor?" the Priestess asked, slowly. "Have I done something to offend you?"

"No," the Doctor said, carefully. "You haven't done anything to offend me. But, you've been acting different ever since I woke up. You've been distant, and I can't help but think that my regenerating does bother you."

How could she reply to that? How could she tell the man that she had been in love with for over twelve hundred years that she was scared that a young, blonde human's feelings for him would be the final straw of their relationship? How could she tell him that ever since the Game Station, she feared that the Doctor's intrigue in Rose Tyler would be enough for him to leave her? How could she tell him that the vision she had seen of Rose as the Bad Wolf had terrified her in a way that she had not been terrified since Davros had her in his grasp? How could she tell him that she resented the fact that the Doctor seemed to know exactly where in the universe he should take Rose, but for over seven-hundred years, he had likened her to a stay-at-home, dull housewife, while he picked up strays from all over the universe and took them around for sightseeing?

It would make her look insecure and petty and foolish and that was something she was not. She was a master at sacrificing her own happiness for the Doctor. She had done it for seven hundred years, she could continue to do it. As long as the Doctor was hers, she could suffer through everything.

"Doctor," she began, softly, her eyes seeming bigger than usual. "I am not at all bothered by your regeneration. I have seen you wear eleven different faces and I have loved all of them. Regeneration is only skin deep, my love for you transcends petty physical features."

The Doctor beamed and leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead, and her hearts warmed.

"I love you, 'Tess," he said, warmly. "You're the best part of me."

She could pretend for the Doctor's sake.

* * *

After the initial shock of blow-dryer, Rose attempted to tidy her hair in between gusts of intense wind from the blow-dryer.

* * *

The lift doors slid open at ward 26 and the Doctor and the Priestess stepped out, their hands entwined and swaying in between their bodies, both of them looking very well-kept.

The Priestess looked up at his perfectly tidy hair. A pang hit her low in her stomach, thinking of the way her fingers had tugged at his hair.

 _Oh, beloved, how could you possibly think your regeneration may have affected my feelings for you? All I can think about now letting you take me against the wall, again and again,_ she purred in his mind, relishing in the way his eyes widened and darkened, a salacious smile playing on his lips, feeling a throbbing settle in between her legs.

 _You naughty little thing. You just wait until I get you back in the TARDIS. You won't leave the bed until I'm done with you,_ the Doctor told her, darkly, loving the way she seemed to tremble at his words.

* * *

Rose stepped out at what seems to be some sort of cellar. She was still pulling at her hair, which was looking quite neat.

"The Human child is clean," a male voice said from some way down the corridor.

"Um... I'm looking for Ward 26...?" Rose said, hesitantly.

"This way, Rose Tyler."

The man scurried off, Rose following him down the corridor, apprehensively, picking up a metal rod off the floor just in case.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were lead into Ward 26 by one of the Cat Nuns, both of them looking around with interest while they walked.

"Nice place. No shop, downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one, just a shop. So, people can shop," the Doctor commented.

The Priestess smiled.

"The hospital is a place of healing," the nun said, surprised.

The Doctor shrugged. "A shop does some people the world of good. Not me. Other people..."

They started to walk and the Doctor and the Priestess saw a patient whose skin was completely red.

"The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help. And to mend," the nun explained.

They passed by a bed holding an extremely fat man, who looked as though he was about to turn to stone. By the bed stood a very prim woman.

"Excuse me!" the woman exclaimed, indignantly, approaching the Doctor and the Priestess. "Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York."

The Priestess cocked her head and stared at the Duke of Manhattan. "He is inflicted with Petrifold Regression."

"I'm dying, miss. A lifetime of charity and abstinence. And it ends like this," the Duke of Manhattan said, mournfully.

"Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance," the prim woman said, flatly.

"Frau Clovis!" the Duke of Manhattan gasped, and the woman rushed to his side. He grasped her hand. "I'm so weak!" he cried.

Frau Clovis turned outraged. "Sister Jatt! A little privacy, please!"

Sister Jatt led the Doctor and the Priestess away. "He'll be up and about in no time."

The Doctor shook his head. "I doubt it. Petrifold Regression? He's turning to stone."

The Priestess nodded her head in agreement. "There will not be a cure for Petrifold Regression for around one thousand years," she said, thoughtfully.

The Doctor shrugged. "He might be up and about, but only as a statue..."

Sister Jatt stared at them, strangely. "Have faith in the sisterhood. But is there no one here you recognize?"

The Doctor and the Priestess looked around for someone familiar and the Priestess froze.

"It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient," Sister Jatt commented.

"No. I believe we have found him," the Priestess said, slowly.

Sister Jatt followed her gaze and it fell upon the Face of Boe, sitting in the corner of the ward, by the window. They approached him and the nurse that accompanied him.

The Doctor looked at her with surprise. He didn't know how she could possibly recognise the Face of Boe. The first and last time the Doctor had seen the Face of Boe was on Platform One, and the Priestess hadn't been with him back then. He remembered what it was like to think she was dead. The overwhelming guilt and loneliness that had escorted him that day had reminded him constantly that the woman he loved more than anything in the universe and the three children she had give him were dead at his hand. He hated thinking of any time where he didn't know that she was alive. She belonged at his side and he was determined that no one would ever take her away again.

"How do you recognise him?" the Doctor muttered to her.

The Priestess gazed up at him, her eyes blank. "It is not important," she said, plainly.

 _It is not important._

The Doctor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. That was Priestess speak for 'I had a dream about him and something bad happened and I really don't want to tell you about it because then you'll get paranoid and protective and I really don't need that right now'. He loved her more than anything else in the universe, but the woman drove him crazy on a day-to-day basis.

"Novice Hame, if I can leave this gentleman and this lady in your care?" Sister Jatt said.

"Oh, I think our friend got lost. Uh, Rose Tyler. Could you ask at reception?" the Doctor asked Sister Jatt.

"Certainly, sir," Sister Jatt said, before leaving.

Novice Hame, the Priestess and the Doctor looked at the Face of Boe.

"I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep. That's all he tends to do these days. Are you friends, or...?" Novice Hame stared at them, curiously.

Before the Doctor could say anything, the Priestess interjected. "We are friends of his, yes. What is wrong with him?"

Novice Hame looked mournful. "I'm so sorry. I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying."

"Of what?" the Priestess asked, sharply.

"Old age. The one thing we can't cure. He's thousands of years old. Some people say millions. Although, that's impossible."

The Priestess felt both hearts break when she heard that.

 _Thousands of years old. Millions. Oh, I am so sorry, Jack. I never meant for any of this to happen. If I could have prevented it, I would have. Thank you, old friend._

The Doctor smiled. "Oh, no... I like impossible." He knelt in front of the Face of Boe. "I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me... it's the Doctor..." He glanced, quickly, up at the Priestess, who kept her eyes on the Face of Boe. "And the Priestess… who seems to know you even though she's never met you before," he said, dryly.

The Priestess knelt down beside the Doctor and placed her hand on the tank. The Face of Boe sighed.

* * *

Rose emerged from the corridor into a room where an old tape was playing on a screen. She curiously looked at the flickering image being projected onto the screen. It depicted a glamourous party scene, everyone present laughing and holding champagne. A tall blonde woman stood in the picture, talking to everyone and generally acting as if she was the life of the party.

" _I mean, you never know what your life's going to be like! Ever! I'm bored with this drink."_ The woman handed her drink over to someone. _"Anyway… oh, hello darling! Now, don't! Stop it!"_ She pushed a man, playfully, in the chest.

Rose's eyes widened, instantly recognising the unique, hoarse voice. "Wait a minute... that's..." She spun around, and a flap of skin attached to a metal frame stood there, the man from the corridor cowering behind her.

"Peekaboo!" the flap of skin exclaimed.

Rose scowled, holding up the metal rod, threateningly. "Don't you come anywhere near me, Cassandra."

"Why? What do you think I'm going to do? Flap you to death?" Cassandra joked.

"Yeah, but…" Rose's eyes moved to the man standing behind Cassandra. "What about Gollum?"

"Oh... that's just Chip. He's my pet," Cassandra explained.

"I worship the mistress!" Chip exclaimed, staring at Cassandra with adoring eyes.

"Moisturize me, moisturize me..." Cassandra hissed and Chip picked up a canister and squirted Cassandra with it. "He's not even a proper life-form. He's a force-grown clone. I modelled him on my favourite pattern. But he's so faithful. Chip sees to my physical needs."

Rose grimaced. "I hope that means food. How comes you're still alive?"

"After you murdered me." Cassandra glared at Rose.

Rose shrugged. "That was your own fault."

"The brain of my mistress survived. And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin," Chip explained and Cassandra looked flattered.

"What about the skin? I saw it, you-" Rose laughed in disbelief. "You got ripped apart."

"That piece of skin was taken from the front of my body. This piece is the back."

Rose laughed even harder, finding that extremely funny. "Right! So you're talking out of your—"

"Ask not."

"The mistress was lucky to survive. Chip secreted milady into the hospital," Chip explained.

Rose frowned. "So they don't know you're here?"

"Chip steals medicine. Helps mi'lady. Soothes her. Strokes her..." Chip said, raising a hand to stroke Cassandra.

Rose's face twisted into an expression of disgust. That was more than she needed to know. "You can stop right there, Chip."

"But I'm so alone, hidden down here... the last Human in existence..." Cassandra said, sadly.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't start that again, they've called this planet New Earth!"

"A vegetable patch," Cassandra hissed.

"And there's millions of Humans out there... millions of them," Rose pointed out.

"Mutant stock!"

Rose glared at her. "They evolved, Cassandra. They just evolved, like they should. You stayed still. You got yourself all pickled and preserved, and what good did it do you?"

Cassandra looked wistful, remembering the night in question that had appeared on the film. "Oh, I remember that night. Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that it all became... such hard work."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Well, you've got a knack for survival, I'll give you that."

"But I've not been idle, Rose... tucked away, underneath this hospital, I've been listening. The Sisters are hiding something," Cassandra said, conspiratorially.

Rose frowned. "What d'you mean?"

"Oh... these cats have secrets. Hush, let me whisper. Come close."

Rose started laughing in disbelief. "You must be joking if you think I'm coming anywhere near you!"

She took a few steps to back away from Cassandra, but instead was caught by a machine that trapped her arms with beams of light, preventing her from moving.

"Chip! Activate the psychograft!" Cassandra ordered.

Chip bounded over to the controls.

Rose's eyes filled with terror. "I can't move! Cassandra, let me go!" she shouted.

Chip pulled a lever and bars of light came down from the ceiling and surrounded Rose like a cage.

"What're you doing?!" Rose shouted, frightened.

"The lady's moving on. It's goodbye trampoline, and hello Blondie!" Cassandra cackled.

After a few seconds, a cloud of light jumped from Cassandra, across the room and into Rose. Chip released the lever and Rose's body fell to the ground, limp and unbreathing.

Chip peered at her. "Mistress?"

'Rose' began to stir. "Moisturize me..." Chip hurried to retrieve the canister. "How bizarre... arms... fingers... hair! Let me see! Let me see!" 'Rose' said, breathlessly. She sprung to her feet and dashed to a mirror, her eyes widening in horror as she caught sight of her reflection. "Oh my God. I'm a chav!" she cried out in horror.

* * *

"Hope, harmony and health. Hope, harmony and health," the PA intoned.

The Doctor crossed the ward and gave Novice Hame a glass of water, while the Priestess' sight didn't leave the Face of Boe for a moment.

Novice Hame smiled. "That's very kind. But there's no need."

The Doctor went over to the window, not before he shot the Priestess a confused and suspicious glance. "You're the one working."

"There's not much to do. Just maintain his smoke. And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes. In my mind... such ancient songs..."

"Are we the only visitors that he has had?" the Priestess asked, curiously.

Novice Hame nodded. "The rest of Boe-kind became extinct. Long ago. He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old." The Doctor and the Priestess smiled. "There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret. That he will speak those words to only ones like himself."

The Doctor frowned, looking at Novice Hame. "What does that mean?"

Novice Hame shook her head. "It's just a story."

"Tell us the rest," the Doctor ordered, gently.

"It's said he'll talk to wanderers. To the man and woman without a home."

The Doctor and the Priestess stilled, recognising whom exactly the story was talking about.

"The lonely God and his faithful Lady of Visions."

* * *

Cassandra still stood in front of the mirror looking at Rose's body, absolutely horrified.

"Look at me! From class to brass!" she shrieked, frantically. "Although..." She pulled the zipper of Rose's jacket down slightly and ran her hands all over Rose's body. "Oh... curves... oh, baby..." She smirked, bouncing up and down, Chip following suit. "It's like living inside a bouncy castle!" she cried out, delighted.

"Mistress is beautiful!" Chip nodded.

"Absolutement! Oh, but look..." Cassandra's eye was caught by the old metal frame that she used to inhabit, which lay on the floor, empty.

"Oh...! The brain lead expired... my old mistress is gone," Chip said with sad surprise.

"But safe and sound in here." Cassandra smirked, tapping her head.

"What of the Rose child's mind?" Chip asked, curiously.

"Oh... tucked away... I can just about access the surface memory, she's..." She paused to think. "Gosh... she's with the Doctor and a woman… damn, I should've chosen her instead... a man... he's the Doctor... the same Doctor with a new face! That hypocrite! I must get the name of his surgeon." She turned on her heel to look in the mirror again. "I could do with a little work. Although..." She ran her hand over Rose's ass. "Nice rear bumper. Hmm!" She smiled. Rose's phone rang through the hospital basement. "Oh... it seems to be ringing... is it meant to ring?" She pulled Rose's phone out of her back pocket and stared at it.

"A primitive communications device," Chip explained.

Cassandra pressed a button and she could hear the 'new' Doctor's voice on the other end.

"Rose, where are you?" the Doctor asked.

"How does she speak?" Cassandra hissed at Chip, placing the phone to her ear.

"Old Earth Cockney," Chip whispered back.

"Uhm… wotcha…" Cassandra stammered into the phone.

The Doctor frowned. "Where've you been? How long does it take to get to Ward 26?" he said, impatiently.

"I'm on my way, governor," Cassandra managed to say in a forced accent. "I shall proceed up the Apples and Pears."

"You'll never guess. We're with the Face of Boe! Remember him?"

"Course I do... that big old... boat... race..."

* * *

The Doctor was distracted by something happening at the Duke of Manhattan's bed. "I'd better go. See you in a minute."

He replaced the receiver and tapped the Priestess' shoulder, gaining her attention. She looked up at him, curiously, and he tipped his head in the Duke's direction, where the Duke was laughing and he and Frau Clovis were both having a glass of champagne.

"Didn't think I was going to make it!" the Duke crowed. He spotted the Doctor and the Priestess. "It's that couple again!" The Doctor smiled, scratching his ear absentmindedly, and the Priestess simply stared at the Duke without shame, her shock carefully hidden from anyone except for the Doctor, who knew exactly how to read her. "They're my good luck charms! Come in! Don't be shy!"

"Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract," Frau Clovis said, sternly.

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded, stiffly.

"Winch me up," the Duke said, giving the Doctor and the Priestess a thumbs-up sign.

 _What does the gesture signify?_ the Priestess asked, curiously.

 _Um, it means 'everything's okay' or 'I'm fine',_ the Doctor told her.

Frau Clovis pressed a button on a remote and the bed tilted forwards.

"Ah! Look at me! No sign of infection!" the Duke exclaimed, ecstatically.

"Champagne, sir, ma'am?" the waiter asked the Doctor and the Priestess.

"No thanks." The Doctor shook his head.

"I am not one for alcohol in public." The Priestess smiled. She turned her attention to the Duke. "You were suffering Petrifold Regression."

"That being the operative word! Past tense! Completely cured," the Duke said, happily, and laughed joyfully.

The Doctor frowned and exchanged an uneasy and suspicious look with the Priestess. "But that's impossible," he said, slowly.

A nurse approached them, quickly sensing their disbelief. "Primitive species would accuse us of magic, but it's merely the tender application of science."

The Doctor stared at her with absolute disbelief. "How on Earth did you cure him?"

"How on New Earth, you might say."

The Priestess walked forwards and observed the intravenous solution that attached to the Duke. "What have you put in the solution?"

The nurse shrugged. "A simple remedy." That was all she was willing to say.

The Priestess spun on her feet and stared at the nurse with a challenging smile. "If you remedy is simple, tell me what it is," she demands, her eyes flashing.

"I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality. I don't believe we've met. My name is Matron Casp," Matron Casp said, sharply.

"I'm the Doctor and this is my Bondmate, the Priestess," the Doctor said, politely, although his eyes were hard.

Matron Casp smiled, viciously. "I think you'll find that we're the Doctors here."

Sister Jatt approached them and addressed Matron Casp. "Matron Casp, you're needed in intensive care."

Matron Casp nodded at the Doctor and the Priestess. "If you would excuse me."

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded at her and she left with Sister Jatt, as the two watching them walk away, suspiciously.

* * *

"This Doctor man is dangerous," Chip pointed out. "And you know next to nothing about the woman that accompanies him."

Cassandra flicked Rose's hair back, fixing her appearance in the mirror.

"Dangerous and clever. I might need a mind like his. The Sisterhood is up to something. Remember that Old Earth saying...? Never trust a Nun. Never trust a Nurse. And never trust a cat. Perfume?" she asked.

Chip took a small tube of perfume out of his pocket and handed it to her. She pushed it down her cleavage, making sure it was completely hidden from sight. She then strode out of the hospital basement, a confident and purposeful look on her face.

* * *

Cassandra finally emerged onto Ward 26, still smoothing down Rose's hair. She spotted the Doctor and the Priestess examining various drips, the Doctor with his glasses on. She smiled when the Doctor noticed her.

"There you are! Come and look at this patient!" the Doctor exclaimed, taking Cassandra's arm and ushering her over to a bed containing a patient whose skin was completely red.

The Priestess stared at the intravenous solution that was attached to the red-skinned man. "Marconi's Disease. It should usually take many years to recover."

The Doctor nodded. "Two days. Neither of us have ever seen anything like it. They've invented a cell washing cascade, It's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one!" The Doctor led Rose over to another bed sporting a man who was completely white. "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine!" He waved, cheerily, at the patient. "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this."

They walked off, Rose walking rather differently to her usual gait.

"If they have the most functional medicine in the universe, then why would it be such a secret?" the Priestess murmured.

Cassandra suddenly stopped. "I can't Adam and Eve it," she said, loftily.

"Are you all right, Rose?" the Priestess asked, carefully.

"Yeah, what's-what's with the voice?" the Doctor asked, confused.

Cassandra looked up at him, fluttering Rose's eyelashes. "Oh, I don't know... just larking about New Earth... New me..." she breathed, looking him up and down with a roving eye.

The Doctor gulped when he noticed that most of the buttons on her shirt had come undone. He kept his eyes on her face, though, and turned towards the Priestess, looking at her sceptically, although her face was completely devoid of any emotion, simply staring at Rose with a searching gaze.

"Well, I can talk." The Doctor chuckled, uncomfortable by the way that Rose's eyes raked over him. "New New Doctor." He grinned.

"Mmm… aren't you just…" She very suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his suit and pulled his face towards her, planting a smacking kiss on his lips. When she finally pulled away, he looked extremely shocked and she was slightly breathless. He stared at her. "T-terminal's this way." She walked off, exhaling slightly.

The Doctor spun around and stared at the Priestess, a bit terrified of what her reaction would be. She was the jealous type. He knew it from when they were still at the Academy. When they were young and the Doctor hadn't yet confessed his feelings for her, he had confided those feelings in the Time Lady that would later become the Rani, although he had only known her as Ushas at that point. The Priestess, fearing that he was becoming distant from her and having heard only snippets of conversations with the Rani, had become convinced that he was abandoning her for the Rani and become terrifyingly jealous. It had taken them weeks and too many lab explosions and too many interferences with the Academy and too much sabotage for the Doctor to finally pluck up his courage and tell the Priestess that he was in love with her.

The Priestess had watched, open-mouthed, as another woman – _right in front of her_ – had kissed _her_ Bondmate. The fury and hurt that had lit up in her veins had overwhelmed any previous jealousy she had felt in regard to the Doctor, against the Rani, against some faceless woman while the Doctor had been travelling. This blonde girl seemed to turn her upside down and she was _furious_. The part of her, the part of her that saw pain and death and love and joy – the past and future and present – wanted her _dead_ for her crime, would ache for it if she got the chance. She rubbed her temples and shook her head.

"I… we... she came out of nowhere… I swear I didn't respond, 'Tess… please… I love _you_ , don't be mad… she's not…" the Doctor babbled, not being able to get a straight thought out there.

The Priestess held up a hand to silence him. She stared at him, blankly, her eyes dark and her lips turning down at the corner. Her face was white and he could tell that she was hurt. His hands reached out for her but she shrugged them off.

"There is something wrong with Rose," she said, flatly, not betraying anything. "You would have been able to read it during the _genetic transfer_."

The Doctor nodded, weakly, and gripped her hand in his. "We'll figure it out. About the kiss…"

The Priestess leaned up and pressed her lips softly against his. "It is not important. It was not Rose and I know you would never be unfaithful," she promised.

"I wouldn't." The Doctor shook his head, frantically. He lowered his voice to a murmur so only she would hear him. "I love you, 'Tess."

"And I, you."

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and 'Rose' were looking at details of the hospital on a screen.

"Nope... nothing odd... surgery... post-op... nano-dentistry... no sign of a shop... they should have a shop," the Doctor muttered to himself.

'Rose' walked around the pair. "No, it's missing something else. When I was downstairs, those Nurse/Cat/Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it...?"

The Doctor nodded, exchanging a suspicious looked with the Priestess. "You're right, well done."

The Priestess frowned. "Why would it be in their interest to hide an entire department?"

The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"It's gotta be there somewhere. Search the sub-frame," 'Rose' told them.

The Priestess stared at 'Rose' with disguised incredulity. "What if the sub-frame is locked?"

"Try the installation protocol..." 'Rose' said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, course. Sorry. Hold on," the Doctor muttered, scanning the screen.

He clicked his sonic screwdriver off and the entire wall moved downwards, revealing a secret corridor behind. Cassandra smiled and walked straight into it. The Doctor and the Priestess followed, both knowing something isn't quite right about her.

"Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive," the Doctor quipped to the Priestess.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : I thought I'd end this chapter here. We got a little into her head in this chapter. What I'm trying to show is that the Priestess and the Doctor have far from the perfect relationship, despite what others and the Doctor may think. The Priestess has a lot of insecurities and doubts that arise because of their past together and the Doctor choosing to travel without her is a really sore point for her.

And Rose will be another one of those sore points. Rose will not merely be a romantic interest that interferes with a relationship. The Priestess doesn't only see Rose as a romantic rival, but she sees her as someone that could potentially divert the Doctor's attention because of her humanity and because of the paradox she represents as Bad Wolf. I know that technically 'Bad Wolf' ended with Season 1, but it made no sense to me for them to make it seem like the most important plot point of the season and then dismiss it in a little while in the finale. Rose won't have extra story time as the Bad Wolf, but the Priestess' vision of seeing as the Bad Wolf has slightly traumatised her.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!

 **Reviews** :

 _Kurosaga Kurugi_ : Thank you!

 _rebelforcauses_ : Thank you!

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you! The Priestess will most certainly not be taking any of Rose's crap, but she has her own insecurity and hurt and resentment to work through as well with the Doctor, so it's not going to be easy for any of them!


	5. New Earth: Hospital Massacre

**A/N** : Nothing much to say for this episode.

 **Warnings** : Fluff, drama, some violent content.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 5**

 **New Earth: Hospital Massacre**

" _Yeah, course. Sorry. Hold on," the Doctor muttered, scanning the screen._

 _He clicked his sonic screwdriver off and the entire wall moved downwards, revealing a secret corridor behind. Cassandra smiled and walked straight into it. The Doctor and the Priestess followed, both knowing something isn't quite right about her._

" _Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive," the Doctor quipped to the Priestess._

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Cassandra went down the metal steps into the Intensive Care department. They found themselves in a huge cavernous chamber, looking upon rows and rows of green doors. The Doctor and the Priestess walked along one of the rows and opened a door with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. A man, covered in boils and surrounded by smoke, looked back at them.

 _I believe they are using these people as experimental subjects for specific diseases. The nurses create the cures for each of the diseases by experimenting on these poor peoples. They are nothing but glorified laboratory animals,_ the Priestess hissed, disgusted, only soothed when the Doctor's hand fell to the small of her back, as he led her forwards with a guiding hand.

Cassandra grimaced, staring at the diseased man. "That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?"

The Doctor stared at the man, horrified. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he murmured.

Cassandra held her nose whilst the Doctor, using the Priestess' help, closed the door, gently, and opened the door beside it.

"What disease is that?" Cassandra asked, peering at the woman inside.

"All of them," the Priestess said, quietly and grimly, absolutely disgusted with what was going on. "Every single disease in the galaxy, they have been infected with everything."

"What about us?" Cassandra frowned. "Are we safe?"

"The air is sterile, but you must make sure that you do not touch them," the Priestess muttered, not really concerned about the safety of the person who was in control of Rose's body, but not wanting Rose's body to be damaged.

The Doctor shut the door and pulled the Priestess over to the railing, the two of them looking upon the rows of doors, Cassandra following them.

"How many patients are there?" Cassandra asked, curiously.

"They're not patients," the Doctor said coldly.

"But they're sick," Cassandra pointed out.

"They were born sick," the Priestess snarled, her anger showing plainly on her face. "Their only purpose is to be sick. They exist to be sick. Laboratory animals. There should be no doubt as to why the Sisters have managed to procure a cure for every disease in the hospital. They have built the definitive research laboratory. A Human farm."

"Why don't they just die?"

"Plague carriers. The last to go," the Doctor said, angrily.

Novice Hame appeared at the end of the row of sick people. "It's for the greater cause."

The Priestess shook her head in disbelief and pushed herself off the railing, her eyes darkening with fury, her fists clenching at her side. She moved so that she was standing in front of the Doctor, his hands falling to hers and stroking up and down her wrists.

"Novice Hame. When you took your vows, did you assent to this?" she growled, lowly.

The Doctor wondered if it was wrong to think that he had never been more attracted to the Priestess when she had a bone to pick with someone. She had never been one to let someone get away with injustice. She was a mistress at giving people a tongue lashing when she felt as if someone was doing something wrong. He remembered what it was like to see her discipline their children for doing something that was so reminiscent of what the Doctor and the Priestess would have done when they were children. It was as if every single mood became her.

"The Sisterhood has sworn to help," Novice Hame told her, plainly.

"What, by killing?" the Doctor shouted.

"But they're not real people. They're specially grown. They have no proper existence," Novice Hame said, gently.

The Doctor advanced, dangerously, his face turning dark with anger, his jaw tensing and the vein in his neck pulsing. "What's the turnover? Hm? Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousand? For how many years? How many?"

"Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle... but the results were too slow. So the sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh."

"These people are alive," the Priestess said, coldly.

"But think of those Humans out there... healthy... and happy, because of us."

"If they live because of this, then life is worthless," the Priestess snarled.

"But who are you to decide that?" Novice Hame cocked her head.

"I am the Priestess."

"And I'm the Doctor. And if you don't like it... if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with us," the Doctor snarled.

Cassandra peered over the Doctor's and the Priestess' shoulders, looking at Novice Hame, innocently. "Just to confirm... none of the Humans in the city actually know about this?"

"We thought it best not-"

"Hold on. We can understand the bodies. We can understand your vows. But one thing we can't understand… what have you done to Rose?" the Doctor asked, dangerously.

Novice Hame looked confused and stared at the Doctor and the Priestess. "

"And we're being very, very calm. You wanna beware of that, very, very calm. You've never seen my Bondmate when she's truly angry, she's got quite a bit less morals than I do. And the only reason we're being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, we want it reversed," the Doctor hissed.

Novice Hame shook her head. "We haven't done anything."

"I'm perfectly fine," Cassandra assured the Doctor and the Priestess.

The Priestess stepped closer to Novice Hame. "These people are very ill, and Rose would be concerned." She may not have known Rose as long as the Doctor had, and they may be on the outs with each other, but even she had observed Rose's capacity for compassion.

Cassandra rolled her eyes, realising that the proverbial jig is up. "Oh, all right, clever clogs." She placed a hand on each of their shoulders and turned them around to face her. She pulled the Doctor's tie out, flirtatiously, and the Priestess had the urge to tear her hands right off. "Smarty pants." She leaned in. "Lady-killer," she said, huskily.

"What is the matter with you?" the Priestess asked, sharply.

Cassandra shrugged. "I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed _this_ body and your mind to find it out."

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked, narrowing his eyes.

Cassandra stood on her tip toes to whisper into the Doctor's ear. "The Last Human," she hummed.

The Doctor pulled back, unpleasantly surprised, and looked at the Priestess, who stared back grimly. "Cassandra?"

"Wake up and smell the perfume," Cassandra hissed.

She took the tube of perfume and sprayed it in the Doctor's and the Priestess' faces. The two immediately fell to the ground, limp and unconscious.

Novice Hame knelt at their sides, stunned and fearful. "You've hurt them! I don't understand, I'll have to fetch Matron!"

"You do that." Cassandra grinned. "'Cause I want to see her. Now, run along! Sound the alarm!"

Novice Hame hurried off. Cassandra ripped a cable out from the wall and an alarm went off, and she smiled, satisfied.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess woke up and found themselves trapped inside one of the cells in Intensive Care.

"Let us out! Let us out!" they both shouted.

Cassandra peered through the green-tinted glass. "Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only."

"You have possessed Rose's body," the Priestess said, coldly, feeling slightly at ease that it was Cassandra that had kissed the Doctor and not Rose, although she was pretty certain that Rose herself harboured romantic intentions towards the Doctor.

"Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about... three minutes left. Enjoy." Cassandra smiled Rose's smile.

"Just let Rose go, Cassandra," the Doctor said, earnestly.

"I will! As soon as I've found someone younger and... less common... then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby! It's showtime," she purred.

Matron Casp and Sister Jatt approached Cassandra from the end of the row.

"Anything we can do to help?" Sister Jatt asked.

"Straight to the point, Whiskers... I want money."

"The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money. We only... accept," Matron Casp said, pointedly.

"The Humans across the water pay you a fortune. And that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment. That's all I want... oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the City nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?" Cassandra smiled, harshly.

Sister Jatt pressed a few buttons on a remote.

"I'm afraid not," Matron Casp told her.

"I'd really advise you to think about this," Cassandra said, pointedly.

Matron Casp shrugged. "There's no need. I have to decline."

The smile fell from Rose's face. "I'll tell them! And you've no way of stopping me! You're not exactly Nuns with Guns, you're not even armed."

"Who needs arms when we have claws?" Matron Casp's claws shot out of her paws and she hissed menacingly.

"Well, nice try." Cassandra shrugged. She spun around to call to Chip who had been waiting nearby. "Chip? Plan B!"

Chip pulled a lever and every cell door on the row sprung open. The Doctor and the Priestess stepped out of his cell, as well as all of the infected people.

"What've you done?" the Doctor shouted at Cassandra.

"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up. See ya!" Cassandra ran off.

"Do not touch them!" the Priestess shouted after her, determined that nothing would happen to Rose while she was being possessed by Cassandra.

The Doctor looked back at Matron Casp and Sister Jatt. "Whatever you do, don't touch!"

The Doctor and the Priestess ran after Cassandra and Chip, while the infected people walked as if they were zombies up to Sister Jatt and Matron Casp.

"I think we should withdraw," Sister Jatt hissed at her superior.

"We understood what you did to us. As part of the machine, we know the machine," one of the infected people told the two nurses.

Matron Casp backed away from the swarm of infected people. "Fascinating. It's actually constructing an argument," she said, stunned.

"And we... will end it."

The infected man plunged his hands into the electrics, electrocuting himself to death but causing every single cell door in Intensive Care to explode open. Cassandra screamed as she, the Doctor, the Priestess and Chip ran for their lives along the row, avoiding all of the infected people and making sure to press themselves against the railing. The infected people started to leave their cells.

"They're free. By the Goddess Centauri, the flesh is free!" Sister Jatt exclaimed, looking over the railings with horror.

The zombie-like infected people staggered slowly towards them, muttering 'stop the pain', reaching out to them with their diseased hands. Sister Jatt was backed against the wall and one of the people touched her. She immediately broke out in boils, screaming with pain. The Doctor, the Priestess, Cassandra and Chip paused for a moment and watched all of the infected people break out of their cells.

"Oh, my God…" Cassandra breathed, horrified.

"What the hell have you done?" the Doctor shouted, furiously.

"It wasn't me!" she protested.

"One touch and you will be afflicted with every disease in the world, and we want that body safe, Cassandra!" the Priestess shouted.

"We've gotta go down!" the Doctor told them.

The infected people were advancing on them.

"But there's thousands of them!" Cassandra exclaimed, scared.

"RUN! Down! Down! Go down!" the Doctor shouted and the four ran down the metal steps.

Matron Casp picked up a phone off the wall. "Quarantine the building!" she ordered, before hanging up and running away from the infected people.

"This building is under quarantine."

* * *

The infected people followed the Doctor, the Priestess, Cassandra and Chip down the stairs, their arms outstretched.

"Keep going! Go down!" the Doctor shouted, quickly judging how far apart they were from the infected people.

Cassandra, Chip, the Priestess and the Doctor descended the last flight of stairs and burst through a door into the cellar, landing in the hospital basement. Cassandra frantically tried to operate the lifts.

"No," the Priestess said, finally. "The lifts have been switched off. That would be the quarantine, nothing is moving."

"This way!" Cassandra shouted and ran the other way, the Doctor and the Priestess on her heel.

More of the infected people were beginning to spill out from the converging corridor, leaving Chip behind, and he whimpered.

The Doctor spun on his heel, attempting to go back for him. "Someone will touch him!"

Cassandra grabbed onto his arm. "Leave him! He's just a clone thing, he's only got a half-life, come on!"

"Mistress!" Chip called out, painfully, but Cassandra was already running in the opposite direction.

The Doctor cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, we can't let her escape!"

The Doctor and the Priestess ran after Cassandra, out of sight.

"My mistress!" Chip cried out, terrified.

The infected people advanced on him. Whimpering, he ran back in the direction he came from and jumped down the waste chute.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Cassandra rushed back into the room where Rose had met Cassandra, slamming the door behind them. Cassandra tried another door but seeing the zombies all clambering to get in behind it, slammed it shut again.

"We're trapped! What're we going to do?" Cassandra shouted, upset and scared.

"Well, for starters, you are going to leave that body," the Priestess snarled, angrily. She gestured up at the psychograft. "That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet! You will compress Rose to death."

"But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead," Cassandra protested.

"Not our problem." The Doctor shrugged. "You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out."

Cassandra sighed, smirking to herself. "You asked for it!"

Cassandra, as a cloud of light, leapt from Rose's body and into the Priestess'.

"Blimey, my head…" Rose muttered, looking around the room. "Where'd she go…?"

The Doctor snarled, angrily. He pointed at his sonic screwdriver, threateningly, at Cassandra, not really intending to use it on the Priestess' body. He'd die before he'd let anything happen to her, especially at his own hand. "Let. Her. Go." His eyes were dark and furious, his jaw set, his hands trembled at his side.

"Oh, my. This is… different," Cassandra crooned in the Priestess' low voice, her voice heightening to a pitch that sounded odd coming from the Priestess.

"Cassandra?" Rose called out, uneasily, moving closer to the Doctor. She felt a flash of worry for the Priestess, knowing that it was the worst thing to not be in control of your own body.

"Goodness me, I'm an alien. Yum. So many parts! And broken in..." She waggled her – the Priestess' – eyebrows, and the Doctor had the decency to blush, knowing that the Priestess' _parts_ were definitely broken in. She wiggled around, crazily, almost as if she was in the midst of a seizure. "Ah... ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

The Doctor swore in his mind, intently, reaching past Cassandra's presence in the Priestess' mind and touching her consciousness.

 _Love, are you okay?_ the Doctor asked, worriedly.

 _Get her out of me,_ the Priestess said through gritted teeth. _Theta, I do not like this. My mind… it hurts. It is reminiscent of the tortures that human collector amused himself by inflicting on me._

The Doctor's jaw clenched at the reminder of Van Statten. He had never had the chance to tear him apart for putting his hands on _his_ Bondmate. _I'll fix this, I promise._ He swore.

"Give her back to me," the Doctor said, darkly, madness colouring the whites of his eyes. Vicious fury and distressing worry curdled his stomach, setting his teeth on edge. His mind could easily tell the difference between his Bondmate and the imposter using her body like a second skin. Searing rage coursed through him and allowed him to advance on the woman currently inhabiting his Priestess' body.

Rose stared at the Doctor. From her sketchy and barely-there memories of Cassandra's possession of her body, the Doctor hadn't been so vicious in his defence of her. Unpleasant jealousy settled in her stomach, tinging the edges of her eyes with green, before she could blink her emotions away. She didn't understand why the Doctor's fawning of the Priestess made her feel so strongly against the Priestess. She knew she had strong feelings for the Doctor, in fact, they had probably been developing long before the Doctor had regenerated, but she didn't know why that made her act out against the Priestess in the way she had been doing, sending glares and making snappish comments, as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. That wasn't her. She was better than that, wasn't she?

Cassandra's eyes roved over the Doctor, her hand reaching out to run over his body, which she would have if the Doctor had wrapped his hand around her wrist before she could touch him. "Ooh, you're slim. And a little bit foxy." She smiled at the Doctor. "She thinks so too." The Doctor couldn't help but feel the shock of pride that his Bondmate found him attractive. "I'm inside her head. You can't believe the thoughts she's had about you." She winked at him and turned her attention to Rose, whose mouth was turned down at the corners. "And you've been looking... you like it too."

Rose looked sheepish, knowing that it was true, and determinedly kept her eyes away from the Doctor, who grimaced at the idea of Rose thinking of him like that. He saw her as a little sister, or if he was pushing it, another daughter.

The infected people suddenly burst through the doors, making all three of them jump.

"What do we do?" Cassandra asked, frantically.

The expression on her face made the Doctor grit his teeth in anger and desperation. It was so odd to see the Priestess anxious and agitated, showing such a weight of emotion. She was his force of nature, strong in every circumstance, her strength and beauty and kindness and tenacity allowing even him to fall at her feet when he needed to. She had been the strong presence at his side ever since he could remember. When he had thought he lost her, he had faltered. He had become dark and jaded and her brightness had brought him back to life, made him feel like he was still that teenager, intent on showing her that no one could possibly love her the way he did. He didn't even know how he had managed to go on without her. He knew why he did – it was his punishment for not protecting her or their children, but he didn't know from where he had mustered the strength to push on.

Rose spun around and noticing a ladder against the wall. "Ladder... we've gotta get up."

Cassandra shoved Rose and the Doctor roughly out of the way, pushing past them to get to the ladder first.

"Out of the way!" she exclaimed.

The infected people advanced on them and the Doctor and Rose hurriedly followed Cassandra up the ladder.

"Let her go. NOW!" the Doctor snarled, as they climbed the ladder, the Doctor directly behind Cassandra, Rose behind him.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and looked down at Rose. "Yap yap yap... God, it was tedious inside your head. Hormone City." Her eyes shifted to the Doctor. "I've never had a man before," she hissed and a flash of light moved from the Priestess and into the Doctor, the Priestess falling momentarily limp against the ladder.

"Let go!" Rose screamed, suddenly, as Matron Casp grabbed her ankle out of nowhere.

"All our good work! All that healing!" Cassandra rolled the Doctor's eyes and the Priestess glared down. "The good name of the Sisterhood, you have destroyed everything!"

"Go and play with a ball of string," Cassandra said, dismissively.

"Everywhere, disease! This is the Human World. Sickness!" Matron Casp shouted.

A diseased hand grabbed onto Matron Casp's ankle. She wailed in pain as boils broke out on her skin. She fell down the lift shaft, wailing. After watching her fall, the infected people started to climb the ladder again, advancing on Rose, the Priestess and Cassandra.

"Move!" Rose shouted at Cassandra, who whimpered in the Doctor's voice and hastily started to climb the ladder again.

The Priestess reached the top of the ladder and found that the lift doors were sealed. "Give me the sonic screwdriver."

Cassandra took it out of his pocket between his thumb and forefinger with his nose wrinkled. "You mean this thing?"

"Yes," the Priestess said, coldly. The Doctor's hands reached up and Cassandra handed the Priestess the sonic screwdriver. She twirled the device in her fingers, staring down at Cassandra, viciously. "Now, leave his body." She purred.

"What?" Cassandra cried out in shock.

"Leave his body or I refuse to open the lift," the Priestess said, simply, her face set in stone.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Cassandra complained. "You'll just give me the same threat if I go into _her_!" She gestured down at Rose.

"Use my body. The Doctor will be able to open the lift," the Priestess suggested and Cassandra leapt into her body.

Cassandra looked down at the Doctor and handed him the screwdriver. "Open it!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor, instead, pointed the sonic screwdriver at Cassandra, threateningly. "Not 'til you get out of her."

"She said we needed the Doctor!"

"I order you to leave her!" the Doctor roared.

Cassandra leapt back into the Doctor. "No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout."

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "Cassandra, leave him, now!"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "But I can't go into you, he simply refuses… he's so rude. And I can't go into Blondie, you'll just threaten me again," she said, pointedly.

"That is none of my concern." The Priestess shook her head. "You will leave his body or I will watch with pleasure as those diseased people destroy you from the inside out," she purred.

Cassandra's shoulders slumped. "Oh, I am so gonna regret this..." she muttered, reluctantly, before leaping from the Doctor's body into a diseased woman's body down below. "Oh, sweet Lord... I look disgusting." She grimaced.

The Doctor opened the lift doors from his perch on the ladder and the Priestess climbed in, her hand pulling him inside as well.

"Nice to have you back," he commented to the Priestess, while she yanked Rose into the elevator shaft.

"No, you don't…" Cassandra hissed before leaping back into the Priestess' body, who was crouched on the floor.

The Doctor sealed the doors behind them and rounded on Cassandra. "That was your last warning, Cassandra!" he snarled.

But Cassandra didn't seem to paying any attention. "Inside her head... they're so alone... they keep reaching out, just to hold us... all their lives and they've never been touched," she said, quietly.

"Get out of my Bondmate," the Doctor said, dangerously, taking a closer step to the Priestess' body.

 _Bondmate_ … Rose frowned. _The Daleks called her that as well. What does it mean?_ "Let her go into me," she said, suddenly.

The Doctor shook his head when he looked at her. "Rose…"

"You need the Priestess," Rose said, softly, and a pang of hurt and anger rushed through her veins when she said those words. She forced them away. It was not the time to be angry about the Doctor's burgeoning relationship with the Priestess. She could compete with the Priestess at a better time, not when they were in mortal danger. She turned to Cassandra. "Use my body."

Cassandra sighed and leapt into Rose's body. "Oh, great… chavtastic." She grimaced.

The Doctor held out a hand to the Priestess, who wearily pressed her head against the wall, and he pulled her to her feet. They could hear the diseased people banging on the lift doors. But that didn't concern the Doctor right now. He wrapped his arms, cautiously, around the Priestess' waist and she melted into his embrace, pressing her face into his shoulder as he kissed her hair, comfortingly.

"Get a room." Cassandra muttered, rolling her eyes.

 _You okay now?_ the Doctor asked, worriedly.

 _I will be fine,_ the Priestess said, reassuringly. _I will need some rest after we emerge from this ordeal, but I will be fine._

He squeezed her hip and kissed her on the forehead, and the Doctor, the Priestess and Cassandra walked off, through a door which led back onto Ward 26.

* * *

Frau Clovis brandished a chair at them menacingly, roaring like a wild animal.

"We're safe! We're safe! We're safe. We're clean! We're clean! Look, look-" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Show me your skin," Frau Clovis demanded.

The Doctor rolled up the sleeve of his suit, showing her his clean, unblemished skin. "Look! Clean. Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead." Frau Clovis nodded and placed the chair back down on the floor. "So, how's it going up here? What's the status?"

"There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine." Frau Clovis fiddled with a small device she was holding. "If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad."

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "If you do that, they will force entry and break quarantine," she pointed out.

"I am not dying in here," Frau Clovis said, angrily.

"We cannot let a single particle of disease out of this building. There are ten million people in that City, they would all be at great risk! Now, turn your device off!" the Priestess snapped, thoroughly used up all of her patience.

Frau Clovis shook her head. "Not if it gets me out."

The Doctor groaned. "All right, fine. So, we have to stop you lot as well. Suits us. 'Tess. Rose. Novice Hame. Everyone! Excuse me, your grace, get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!" he shouted.

Everyone gathered all the solutions. The Doctor tied a rope around his body, while the Priestess attached the solutions to it so that they hung off them.

"How's that?" the Doctor asked the Priestess. "Will that do?"

"I believe it should be fine." The Priestess nodded.

"Will it do for what?" Cassandra asked, confused.

The Doctor opened the doors to the lift with his sonic screwdriver.

"The lifts aren't working," Cassandra reminded him.

The Doctor peered down the elevator shaft. "Not moving. Different thing." He stepped back, ready for a running jump, the Priestess making her way over as well.

"Oh, I am never speaking to you again," she muttered under her breath, as she placed all of her weight on the balls of her feet.

"Keep thinking that." The Doctor smirked. He sighed. "Here we go." He stuck the sonic screwdriver between his teeth and he and the Priestess ran.

"But you're not going to—" Cassandra protested.

The Doctor and the Priestess jumped into the middle of the shaft and clung onto the rope.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Cassandra shouted, shocked.

"We're going down!" The Doctor fixed up the wench with his sonic screwdriver, while Cassandra looked away, exasperated. "Come on!"

"Not in a million years," Cassandra said, dryly.

"We need another pair of hands. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive... why don't you live a little?" the Doctor asked, encouragingly.

More infected people emerged from the quarantined area.

"Seal the door!" they heard Frau Clovis shout.

The doors closed, leaving Cassandra trapped with the zombies and no choice but to jump into the lift shaft and onto the Doctor's back with a regretful moan.

"You're completely mad." Cassandra shook her head. "I can see why your girlfriend is in love with you."

Both the Doctor and the Priestess hid their identical smiles, the former winking at the latter.

"Going down," the Doctor sounded.

They whizzed down the shaft, all three of them screaming. They straightened themselves out when they reached the bottom.

"Well, that's one way to lose weight," Cassandra said, shaking her head.

"Now, listen, when we say so, take hold of that lever," the Doctor ordered.

"There's still a quarantine down there, we can't—" Cassandra protested.

"Hold that lever!" the Priestess snapped and Cassandra backed down.

"We're cooking up a cocktail. We know a bit about medicine myself." The Doctor grinned over at the Priestess, who smiled, lovingly, back.

The Doctor ripped the tops of the packets of each solution with his teeth and handed them over to the Priestess, who poured them into the clear container where the disinfectant for the lift should go.

"That lever will resist. You must keep it in position," the Priestess ordered, not taking her eyes off the concoction she was creating.

The Doctor opened a trapdoor in the top of the lift. "Hold onto it with everything you've got."

Cassandra's brow furrowed. "What about you?"

The Doctor smirked at the Priestess, who resisted the urge to kiss him senseless. "I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in."

He dropped down into the lift and he opened the doors with his sonic screwdriver. In front of him, all the infected people were huddled in groups. When they saw him, they started to advance on him.

"I'm in here, come on!" the Doctor shouted.

"Don't tell them!" Cassandra protested, thinking that the man was utterly insane.

"Pull that lever!" he shouted. The infected people staggered towards the lift. "Come and get me, come on! I'm in here, come on!"

They reached out towards them.

"Commence stage one: disinfection," the speaker intoned.

"Hurry up, come on!" the Doctor shouted. He beckoned them towards him. The solution showered into the lift, soaking him. "Come on, come on," he muttered, sneaking a glance at the Priestess, who stared at the incoming swarm of infected people with apprehension.

The infected people stumbled into the shower and were also soaked with the medicine.

"All they wanna do is pass it on. Pass it on!" the Doctor shouted, enthusiastically.

"Pass on what? Pass on what?!" Cassandra shouted, confused.

"Pass it on!"

The infected people touched each other, and passed on the medicinal solution. The boils began to disappear and seeing this, the Doctor grinned manically, looking up at the Priestess, proudly. The Doctor held his hands out and the Priestess grabbed onto them, slipping down into the lift with his assistance. Cassandra jumped down into the lift with the Doctor's and the Priestess' help.

"What did they pass on? Did you kill them? All of them?" Cassandra asked, curiously.

"No." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "That's your way of doing things." He and the Priestess walked into their midst. "I'm the Doctor and I cured them."

The new humans looked around at their surroundings, slightly childlike. A woman came up to the Doctor and the Priestess and wrapped her arms around them, much to the Priestess' surprise, who was still adjusting to physical contract from those other than the Doctor.

"That's right! Hey, hey! There we go, sweetheart! Ay? Look at him..." the Doctor said, gently, and guided her to go and sit with someone else. "Go on, that's it! That's it! It's a new sub-species, Cassandra!" The Doctor bent down to look at them with a huge smile on his face. "Grown by cats... kept in the dark, fed by tubes... but completely, completely alive!"

The Priestess turned to Cassandra and threw out her arms. "You cannot deny them, as you facilitated their creation."

Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"The human race just keeps on going. Keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!" The Doctor crowed, throwing his arms around the Priestess' waist and pulling her into his body, nuzzling into her thick long hair.

* * *

The hospital was swarming with police officers when the Doctor, still wet and in shirtsleeves, the Priestess, and Cassandra emerged back onto the ward.

"All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest. I repeat, immediate arrest. All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care," the PA said.

Novice Hame was led away by a police officer. On her way out, she caught the eyes of the Doctor and the Priestess, but they kept silent, their lips set in a hard line.

"All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD."

The Priestess suddenly paused, remembering something had slipped her mind. "The Face of Boe!" she exclaimed and ran off in the direction of Ward 26, the Doctor hot on her heels.

Cassandra rolled her eyes before following.

* * *

The Priestess approached the Face of Boe, who looked very much alive and well. She made sure that her connection was closed on her side, before she smiled.

 _Hello, Jack,_ the Priestess murmured.

 _Hey, gorgeous._ Jack smiled. _I'm a bit lost. Where are you in our timeline?_ His smile fell, as if he was remembering something that he would much rather forget.

 _The Doctor has just regenerated._

Jack's weary eyes dawned with realisation. _You just left me on the Game Station._

The Priestess bit her lip. _Do you understand now, Captain?_

 _Yeah, I do, Priestess._ Jack shook his head. _You're gonna meet me soon, Priestess, and I won't be all that happy. I'm sorry in advance._

 _It will be fine, darling. I forgive you and I understand why you would be angry._

 _Be careful, Priestess. You need to be careful. And be happy, you deserve so much._

 _I am happy, Jack. Why would you believe I am not?_

 _Spoilers._ Jack sounded as if he were grinning to himself.

The Priestess frowned. _What does that mean?_

 _I can't say, sorry. You'll find out, eventually._

 _I am happy, Jack, and thank you for trusting me. I look forward to meeting you again. Your loss has hit me hard. I have not had friends like you in a very long time, and any friends that I had perished many years ago. If there is anyone who is able to spend eternity with myself and the Doctor, it is you._

 _I'd enjoy that, gorgeous. I really would. And I wouldn't look now, but your boyfriend's behind you._

The Priestess stared at him, sternly. _Now, Jack, I have already explained the nature of my relationship with the Doctor. Our relationship transcends human trivialities such as marriage._

Jack looked as if he would like to roll his eyes. _Yeah, yeah, gorgeous. Heard it the first time._

 _You are not too old to be put over my knee,_ the Priestess scolded.

 _Do you promise?_ Jack teased.

 _Jack!_

 _Love you too, gorgeous sister of mine. Hey, I can actually say that now._

"You were supposed to be dying." The Doctor grinned as he approached the Priestess and the Face of Boe.

"There are better things to do today. Dying can wait." The Face of Boe told them in their heads.

Cassandra grimaced. "Oh, I hate telepathy. Just what I need, a head full of big face," she grumbled.

"Hush," the Priestess snapped.

"I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you and your Bondmate have taught me to look at it anew."

The Doctor knelt beside the Priestess, in front of the Face of Boe. "There are legends you know, saying that you're millions of years old," he said, knowingly.

The Face of Boe laughed, slightly, winking at the Priestess, who smiled. "There are? That would be impossible."

The Doctor grinned. "Wouldn't it just? I got the impression... there was something you wanted to tell us..." he trailed off.

"A great secret." The Face of Boe nodded.

"So, the legend says," the Priestess said, ominously.

"It can wait."

The Doctor pouted. "Oh, does it have to?"

The Priestess rolled her eyes. "Ignore him." She patted the Doctor on the back. "He has absolutely no patience whatsoever."

The Face of Boe smiled. "We shall meet again, Doctor, Priestess, for the third time... for the last time... and the truth shall be told. Until that day..."

The Priestess paled. _No, Jack, you cannot leave me._

 _Don't worry, gorgeous, you'll see me plenty after that. Time isn't actually linear for the three of us,_ Jack told her, reassuringly. _See you soon._

The Face of Boe teleported himself away.

"That is enigmatic. That-that is-that is textbook enigmatic," the Doctor stammered.

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded at each other. They stood to face Cassandra, who has been examining her nails, completely disinterested in the proceedings.

"And now for you," the Priestess said, grimly.

"But... everything's happy. Everything's fine... can't you just leave me?" Cassandra pouted.

The Doctor shook his head. "You've lived long enough. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra."

Cassandra started to weep, her sobs wailing and loud. "I don't want to die!"

"No one does," the Priestess said, softly.

"Help me!" she begged.

The Doctor shook his head. "We can't."

Chip appeared, making Cassandra gasp in shock.

"Mistress!" he exclaimed.

"Ah! You're alive!" Cassandra cried out.

"I kept myself safe. For you, mistress."

Cassandra cocked her head and stared at Chip with interest, the cogs ticking in her head. "A body... and not just that, a volunteer..." she smirked.

The Doctor scowled, realising what she was about to do. "Don't you dare. He's got a life of his own," he said, warningly.

"But I worship the mistress!" Chip protested. Cassandra winked at Chip, knowing exactly how he felt towards her. "I welcome her," he breathed.

"Cassandra, I am warning you-" the Priestess snapped.

Cassandra ignored her and leapt into Chip's body. Rose fell forward with a gasp, and would've tumbled to the floor had the Priestess not lunged to catch her by the waist.

"It is all right, Rose. I have you," she murmured.

Rose paused and stumbled again, and the Priestess caught her again. "Are you fine, now?"

"Yeah." Rose shook her head, clearing her mind of the dizziness. She was so ecstatic to be able to control her own body that she forgot everything that she had against the Priestess, and threw her arms around the Priestess, grinning into her shoulder. "Hello!" she exclaimed.

The Priestess smiled back, pulling away. She placed her hands on Rose's shoulder and searched her body for any injury. "Hello. Welcome back."

"Rose, nice to see you again." The Doctor grinned and wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh, sweet Lord. I'm a walking doodle." Cassandra grimaced through Chip's voice.

"You can't stay in there. I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the City. They can build you a skin tank and you can stand trial for what you've done," the Doctor told her, grimly.

"Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour. And certainly, my finest hat," Cassandra told them. The Doctor and the Priestess glanced at each other. "But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip is only a half-life. And he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing. I don't think he's going to last-"

Chip's legs gave away and the Priestess and the Doctor lunged forwards to support him.

"You all right?" the Doctor asked, worriedly.

"I'm fine," Cassandra said. She paused and the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose stared at Chip's body with concern. "I'm dying. But that's fine."

"We are able to take you to the City," the Priestess offered.

"No, you won't. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die," Cassandra murmured, her eyes dawning with realisation.

Rose looked rather upset and the Priestess rubbed her back.

Cassandra swallowed hard. "And that's good."

The Doctor and the Priestess helped Cassandra to her feet. The Doctor exchanged a look with the Priestess, and she nodded, understanding what he wanted to do.

"Come on. There's one last thing I can do," the Doctor told Cassandra and they led her away.

* * *

The TARDIS engines sounded. The Doctor and the Priestess stepped out of the doors, followed by Cassandra and Rose. In front of them, they could see Cassandra, as a proper human being, laughing and talking, the life and soul of the party.

Cassandra turns to the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Thank you," she said, sincerely.

"Just go," the Doctor said, grimly.

"Never look back," the Priestess said, softly.

"Good luck." Rose nodded.

Cassandra walked into the midst of the party, up to her past self. She was smiling, watching herself.

"And if you'd actually seen them, they were shocked! But don't quote me on that. Oh, naughty. À bientôt!" Human Cassandra walked away from the group of people she was talking to and Cassandra approached her.

"Excuse me... Lady Cassandra..." Cassandra said.

"I'm sorry, I don't need anything right now, I'm fine, thank you." Human Cassandra waved off 'Chip', and turned away.

"No. I just wanted to say... you look beautiful."

Human Cassandra stared at 'Chip' with surprise. "Well. That's very kind, you strange little thing. Thank you very much," she said, kindly.

"I mean it." 'Chip' stepped forward and looked straight into her eyes. "You look... so beautiful," Cassandra said, sincerely.

Human Cassandra stared back at her future self, oddly touched by the strange man in front of her. "Thank you," she whispered.

Cassandra's eyes fluttered closed and Chip's body keeled over.

"Oh, my Lord. Are you alright? What is it? What's wrong? Someone get some help!" Human Cassandra cried out, alarmed, gathering Chip's body into her arms. "Call a medic or something, quickly!" she shouted.

"Who is he?" a woman asked.

"I don't know. He just came up to me. I don't even know his name. He just collapsed. I think he's dying. Someone do something! I've got you, sweetheart... it's all right..."

Rose looked close to tears, and the Doctor and the Priestess was watching solemnly.

"There you are... there you are, I've got you... it'll be all right. There, there, you poor little thing..." Cassandra said, rocking Chip gently.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose walked slowly back to the TARDIS. The Priestess paused for one last look before following the Doctor and Rose through the doors.

* * *

The Priestess trembled. Her hands were fisted in the sheets, her hair spread across the pillow like a dark halo. The Doctor's eyes snapped open, feeling the tell-tale sign of the Priestess struggling beside him. He, cautiously, placed a hand on the Priestess' shoulder.

 _I probably should've expected this_ , the Doctor thought, grimly, cursing himself for his nonchalance. It was his job to protect her from this and he couldn't even do that much. It made him feel worse than useless.

She screamed, her eyes flashing open and flaring gold.

She bared her teeth like a feral animal and her back arched.

Her bones snapped as if she were in the midst of a seizure and the Doctor actually feared she would injure herself this time. He reached for her and her nails dug into his skin, leaving long, deep scratches, lined with blood, making him wince.

She screamed again, her eyes swirling with bewitching gold.

Her neck coiled against the pillow and she convulsed, her bones bending in every direction. Her dark lips parted, paused in the middle of the scream and she sobbed, the very picture of a horror movie.

Her hands reached up and aimed to scratch at her face, desperate from some relief from the pain and the horrifying dreams that dug into her skull and her mind and refused to let her go. The Doctor snarled in anger and worry and grabbed her wrists, pulling them away from her body and pressing it against his chest, preventing her from using her nails to injure herself.

"Theta!" she screamed, incoherently. "Please… please, help me!" she sobbed, her neck snapping in every direction as she fought away the images that had penetrated her skull.

The Doctor felt tears come to his eyes and he reached down, hauling the Priestess' body against his body and trapping her against his chest, rocking her, gently, the way the Priestess used to do for their children after they had particular vicious night terrors.

"It's okay, love. I've got you. You'll be fine. Just get through this and I'll be on the other side, I promise." He pressed furious kisses to her hair and any skin he could reach from the uncomfortable position where the Priestess was perched on his lap.

All she could see was pain.

A middle aged, brown-haired woman, standing outside a large manor house.

" _And if this Doctor and his wife should return, then they should beware. Because Torchwood will be waiting."_

An arrogant, blonde woman.

" _It was only a matter of time before you found us. Welcome to Torchwood."_

A familiar, dark-haired pretty woman.

" _May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith."_

She whimpered.

She would die.

He would die.

He couldn't die.

" _You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave."_

" _Cybermen."_

" _This is a Void Ship."_

Her torso snapped forwards in a contortionist movement that made the Doctor fear for his Bondmate's life. Her head tipped back, and her lips parted, as if she was praying for strength. Her dark hair curled around her face, her toffee-coloured skin and midnight curls making her seem like some mystical goddess. She turned to look at him, languidly; unlike the last time he had watched her have a vision.

She cocked her head, biting her lower lip, her eyes still swirling with gold.

The words spilled from her lips in a voice that tasted like sweet honey, but the lyrical Old High Gallifreyan broke his hearts and made him tremble in horror.

"Torchwood will rise. The war will begin. The walls will break. The world will collide with another. The universe will fracture. Those who should not exist, will exist. They will destroy you. The sin and the fear and the darkness will be the end of you. The killer of his own kind and the woman who endures the brutal assault of time and space."

She took a deep breath, her skin glowed and she fell back onto the pillow, breathing heavily, her hands twisted in the sheets.

The Doctor paused, his hands shaking, not sure of what to do now. She was always a wild card after a vision. Sometimes, she ached for him to put his hands on her, and sometimes, she would run and hide, desperate to be alone and put the pieces of her mind back together in utter solitude. It was as if every time she had a vision, time and space destroyed her and she had to put herself back together again. He reached out and stroked her hair, soothingly.

The Priestess reached out and gripped his hand, holding it to her sweat-marred cheek. She turned her face to the side and pressed a chilly kiss to the skin of his palm. She shook and he took that as a sign to pull her closer, tugging her into his arms and lap, rocking her as if she were a child. He rested his chin on top of her head and twisted her curls in his fingers, attempting to show that he was here for her and that he still loved her, that he would always love her.

She trembled and fell limp against his chest, the tears spilling out of her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. He hushed her and hummed the lullaby that she would sing to soothe him and their children during a particularly terrifying nightmare. Her tears didn't stop for ages, and by then all he was doing was whispering how much he loved, how he had always loved her, nonsensical endearments and how absolutely strong she was, terrified beyond belief at the pain and horror she had to experience but needing to be strong for her.

 _She will be fine, my thief,_ the TARDIS crooned in her head.

 _What do I do, old girl? She… she can't keep doing this. One day, it'll kill her, and what'll I do without her?_ the Doctor confessed.

 _She will not die,_ the TARDIS snapped. The Priestess was her sister, her prophet. She would not die because of time. Time would save her. _She is strong._

 _But for how long?_ the Doctor asked, panicked. _She's been doing this since she was eight. When does she stop? When do people stop hurting her because of these dreams? Too many people have tried to use her. What if I'm not there again? What if she dies this time?_

 _We will protect her,_ the TARDIS reassured him.

 _She's all I have. She's my Dream Girl. She's the girl who patched up my wounds when I got into a fight. She's the girl who soothed my nightmares. She's the girl who threw away her father and family to be with me and to bond with me. She's the girl who gave me three children, despite all the mocking and the jeers she got for not using a Loom and giving me womb-born children. She's the girl who was trapped by Rassilon during the Time War for her visions and to be used as bait for me. She's the girl that Davros almost murdered for these stupid visions._

 _These visions protect her,_ the TARDIS told him, almost scolding. _They help her. She is intelligent and strong and completely unique in the history of the universe. And she is ours._

 _They'll destroy her one day,_ the Doctor growled.

The Priestess looked up at him, her eyes wet and dark.

"Don't cry, love." The Doctor leaned down and brushed kisses over her eyelids, licking away the tears. "You know I can't take it when you cry. It kills me inside," he crooned.

"I am terrified, Theta," she whispered, reluctantly. She wasn't one to betray her emotions in this way.

The Doctor moved so that they were lying on the bed, the Doctor leaning against the headboard and the Priestess half lying on top of him.

"There's nothing to be scared about." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stroked her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you," the Doctor swore.

The covers wrapped around them and they settled back into their pillows, the Doctor's hand never straying from stroking her hair.

* * *

 **A/N** : Woah! That was a long and arduous chapter to write. I almost didn't finish it, that's how nerve-wracking it was. I had the moods of the Priestess and Rose fluctuate in the chapter because I think they're still in that state of mind where everything hasn't settled. That's why the Priestess' dream got to her so strongly. She's still quite vulnerable and hurt. Rose and the Priestess are trying to figure out exactly what they want and how they're going to get it.

Anyway, hope you all liked it and don't forget to review.

 **Reviews** :

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much!

 _Celaena007_ : You'll see the Sarah Jane reunion episode soon! Thank you so much!

 _CrystalVixen93_ : Thank you!


	6. Tooth and Claw: Blood and Chocolate

_**A/N**_ : Here's _Tooth and Claw_. Hope you all like the chapter!

 _ **Warnings**_ : Fluff, mostly. Some sexual overtones.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Tooth and Claw: Blood and Chocolate**

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor appeared, holding a CD in his hands, while the Priestess worked the controls on the TARDIS and Rose finished zipping her bag up and shoved it out of the way. Rose straightened, showing the Doctor what she was wearing, which was a rather short dungaree skirt.

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" Rose asked, uncertainly, smoothing down the denim.

"In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag," the Doctor commented. He looked over at the Priestess, who was wearing a one shoulder tight purple dress, black tights and black heels. "Now, you're not dressed at all." He grumbled, eyeing the way that the dress seemed to curve around the Priestess' figure, the idea of anyone else but him seeing her in that dress driving him slightly mad.

 _Now, I know exactly why you chose to say that,_ the Priestess laughed.

 _It's too tight. Go and change,_ he ordered.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. _I must have misunderstood, are you ordering me?_ she asked, coldly.

 _No, it was merely a suggestion_ , the Doctor said, weakly.

"As you choose to wear the same suit, day in and day out, I do not believe that you are the correct person to dictate my choice in clothing," she said, loftily, throwing her head up and walking around the console, flicking a few switches.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Hold on, listen to this." He pushed the disc into the CD player, and 'Hit With Me Your Rhythm Stick' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads began to blare over the speakers.

The Doctor wandered around the console, helping out the Priestess. "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979."

The Priestess peered at the monitor screen, which displayed the name of the song. "The name of the song is 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'." A smile played on the Priestess' lips, and she resisted the urge to grin, widely.

The Doctor smirked and moved around the console, kissing her swiftly on the hair. "You have _such_ a dirty mind," he teased.

The Priestess laughed and Rose stared at them for a moment, feeling the spark of jealousy strike her again. How did the Doctor feel so comfortable around the Priestess, enough to kiss her, but he still found it weird to show Rose any affection? Rose shook her head, freeing herself of all of those dangerous thoughts.

"You're a Punk!" she exclaimed, giggling.

"It's good to be a lunatic-" the Doctor sang along.

"You certainly believe that," the Priestess muttered to herself and the Doctor pinched her, lightly, on the hip, making her squeak.

Rose smirked. "That's what you are. A big old Punk with a bit of Rockabillly thrown in," she said, playfully.

"Would you like to see him?" the Doctor asked.

Rose's jaw dropped. "How'd you mean? In concert?" she asked, stunned.

The Doctor snorted. "What else is a TARDIS for?" He danced around the console, ignoring the Priestess' sceptical glance. "I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar... the first anti-gravity Olympics... Caesar crossing the Rubicon... or... Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?"

"I would love to go to the Battle of Trafalgar…" the Priestess said.

"Sheffield it is!" Rose exclaimed, shooting the Priestess a triumphant glance, making her narrow her eyes at the young blonde girl.

"Hold on tight," the Doctor said, mouthing to Priestess 'we'll go some other time'.

The Priestess pursed her lips, deciding to bury the exchange in her mind. Rose had been increasingly more spiteful to her ever since the Doctor had regenerated. And the Doctor wasn't helping by giving Rose everything she wanted. She gritted her teeth against the feeling of jealousy and ignored both the Doctor and Rhea, moving over to the console, and pressing down on a few buttons.

The Doctor pulled down a lever and all three of them lurched forwards as the TARDIS shuddered and spun through the Time Vortex. The Doctor whacked the console with a hammer to the beat of the music, shouting along.

The Priestess growled and snatched the hammer from the Doctor's grasp. "That is enough!"

The movement stopped and the momentum shoved the Doctor and Rose to the fall, laughing their heads off, while The Priestess gripped onto the console, steadying herself before she could fall like the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor stood up. "1979. Hell of a year!" He reached down and pulled Rose to her feet. The Priestess threw him his coat. "China invades Vietnam... The Muppet Movie! Love that film. Margaret Thatcher... urgh..." He grimaced. "Skylab falls to Earth... with a little help from me... nearly took off my thumb."

The Doctor and the Priestess stepped out of the TARDIS, followed by Rose.

"I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to..." the Doctor faltered as he noticed that they were surrounded by Scottish soldiers on all sides, their guns raised and aimed at them. He slid his hands up and the Priestess and Rose followed suit. "… my thumb," he finished, weakly.

The guns clicked, ominously, and the Doctor took a sort of half-step forwards, putting himself in the Priestess' path, making her roll her eyes.

The Doctor's eyes dawned with realisation. "1879. Same difference."

"No," The Priestess said through gritted teeth. "It most certainly is not. From this moment onwards, _I_ am driving." She snarled.

The Doctor nodded, sheepishly. "Okay."

"You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of these girls," the soldier in front said, eyeing the Priestess and Rose with distaste.

"I am most certainly not-" the Priestess started to hotly protest.

The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled into his side, tightening his hand on her hip, warning her silently to remain quiet.

"Are we in Scotland?" the Doctor asked in a fairly nice Scottish accent.

"How can you be ignorant of that?" the soldier asked, confused.

"Oh, we're-we're dazed and confused. We've been chasing this... this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya... timorous beastie?" The Doctor looked at Rose, expectantly.

Rose grimaced, wondering why _she_ had to be the timorous beastie and not the Priestess, but she decided to go along with it. "Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot," Rose said, with an absolutely hilariously terrible attempt at a Scottish accent.

The Doctor closed his eyes. "No, don't do that!"

"Hoots mon!"

"No, really don't. Really."

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" the soldier asked.

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon," the Doctor said, making the Priestess smile at his choice of alias. "From the... Township of Balamory. Eh... I have my credentials, if I may..."

He gestured towards his pocket and the Captain nodded. All three lowered their hands whilst the Doctor fumbled in his pocket and produced the psychic paper. He showed it to them.

"As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."

"Let them approach," a feminine voice called out from inside the carriage.

"I don't think that's wise, ma'am," the Captain said, eyeing them with suspicion.

"Let them approach," the woman said, again, her voice stronger.

The Doctor gestured towards the carriage and the Captain had no other choice but to let the three approach.

"You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference," the Captain warned.

The Doctor saluted him, mockingly, and he, the Priestess approached the carriage. One of the footmen opened the door to reveal a middle-aged woman wearing a lavish black dress.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes widened.

"Rose, might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith," the Doctor said with a smile.

Rose curtseyed, haphazardly. "Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies... for being so naked," she said, laughing nervously.

"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor... show me these credentials." The Doctor obligingly handed the psychic paper over, and the Queen studied it for a moment. "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector. And you've even brought your lovely wife with you, Mrs Tess McCrimmon."

 _Now, that was very subtle. What happened to not divulging our true relationship to one another?_ the Priestess asked.

 _Well, obviously my subconscious feels differently_ , the Doctor retorted, still a little sore that she had asked him to hide the fact that she was love of his existence, but knowing that he would continue to hide her. He loved her, he would do anything for her.

Rose's jaw dropped with shock. "Wait, wife?" she spat, furiously, the jealousy overwhelming her and preventing her from thinking clearly.

The Doctor swallowed hard, and took the psychic paper from Queen Victoria. "Does it? Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um… then let me ask, why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?"

"A tree on the line," Queen Victoria told him.

"An accident?" the Priestess queried.

"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned," Queen Victoria told them, ominously.

"You are referring to an assassination attempt," the Priestess said, knowingly. She had experienced quite a few of those in her day.

Rose looked in between the Priestess and Queen Victoria. "What, seriously? There's people out to kill ya?"

Queen Victoria smirked. "I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun."

"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow," the Captain said from behind them.

"This Doctor, his wife and their… timorous beastie will come with us," Queen Victoria ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving, it's almost nightfall," the Captain told her.

"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!"

The carriage drove on its way, while the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose walked behind.

"It's funny though, 'cos you say 'assassination' and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her," Rose said, shaking her head.

"1879. She's had... ooh... six attempts on her life?" The Doctor looked for clarification from the Priestess and she nodded. "And I'll tell you something else: we just met Queen Victoria!"

"I know!" Rose said, excitedly.

"What a laugh!"

"She was just sitting there!" Rose crowed.

"Like a stamp." the Doctor nodded.

"I want her to say…" Rose put on an affected upper-class accent. "'We are not amused'. I bet you five quid I can make her say it."

"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveler in time," the Doctor drawled.

Rose paused. "... Ten quid?"

"Done," the Doctor said, finally. He turned to the Priestess. "What d'you think, 'Tess? Wanna join the bet?"

"No, I am fairly certain that you will lose this wager, Doctor." The Priestess said, winking at Rose, who grinned at her.

"Ha!" Rose cried out and shot a triumphant glance at the Doctor.

INSERT LINE HERE

The carriage pulled into a large manor house. One of the footmen opened the door of the carriage and helped Queen Victoria down. A well-dressed man emerged from a doorway and approached her, an older monk walking behind him.

"Your Majesty," the man said and bowed, lowly.

"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" Queen Victoria asked, kindly.

"She's… indisposed, I'm afraid." Sir Robert fidgeted and the Priestess immediately knew that he was lying. "She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her, the kitchens are barely stocked... I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on," he said, nervously.

 _Is it just me or would Sir Robert rather the Queen stay away from his house?_ the Doctor asked the Priestess, cocking his head to the side and observing Sir Robert's interaction with the Queen.

 _You are correct. He is lying. There is something happening in this house and he would rather the Queen not be here to see it,_ the Priestess told him, grimly.

"Oh, not at all! I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is... charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?" Queen Victoria said, cheerfully, oblivious to Sir Robert's reluctance. "And please excuse the naked girl."

"Sorry." Rose grimaced.

"She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so..." The Doctor jumped when the Priestess stepped on his feet with her boot heel.

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused." Rose looked pointedly at Queen Victoria, expectant. "What do you think, Ma'am?"

"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" Queen Victoria said.

Sir Robert nodded and they began to make their way into the house.

"So close," Rose muttered to the Doctor.

"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the Property. Hurry up," Captain Reynolds said.

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir."

One of the soldiers took a small wooden box from the carriage and carried it carefully to the house, as if it were the most precious cargo.

"What's in there, then?" the Doctor asked, his interested eye roving over the box.

"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir." The Doctor made a face to the Priestess, who smiled at his pout.

 _You never were able to stand authority figures, beloved,_ the Priestess teased.

 _I love you_ , he crooned, making her insides melt pleasurably.

"The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions," Captain Reynolds told all of the other soldiers.

"You heard the orders. Positions, sir."

The Doctor nodded towards the house and he, the Priestess and Rose followed the others.

* * *

Sir Robert entered the Observatory, followed by the Queen, Rose, the Priestess, the Doctor, and some of the household staff. The Doctor and the Priestess marveled at the enormous telescope in the middle of the room.

"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour," Queen Victoria said.

"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession, he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself," Sir Robert murmured.

"I wish I'd met him, I like him. That thing's beautiful…" The Doctor grinned at the telescope.

"Would you mind if we…" the Priestess trailed off, expectantly.

"Help yourself."

The Doctor and the Priestess glanced at each other, excitedly, and moved forward to examine the telescope and the wheel next to it.

"What did he model it on?" the Doctor asked, inquisitively.

Sir Robert shrugged. "I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little... shall we say, eccentric." The Doctor and the Priestess laughed. "I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories." Sir Robert glanced at the Queen.

The Doctor peered through the telescope. "It's a bit rubbish."

The Priestess shook her head, grinning. "It has entirely too many prisms," she commented.

The Doctor nodded. "The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a-" He paused and turned to the Priestess. "Am I being rude again?" he asked her, quietly.

"Yes." The Priestess nodded.

The Doctor turned around, quickly. "But it's pretty! It's very... pretty."

The Priestess laughed and patted him on the arm.

"And the imagination of it should be applauded," the Queen said.

"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Rose asked, innocently. The Queen stared at her. "You could easily... not be amused, or something...? No?"

"This device surveys the infinite work of God," Queen Victoria said. The Doctor shook his head at Rose with a vague smile on his face. "What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."

"Stars and magic. I like him more and more," the Doctor hummed.

The Priestess wandered around the telescope to examine it more intently.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company," Queen Victoria said. The Priestess looked at her from the telescope. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

"That's Bavaria," the Doctor muttered in Rose's ear.

Queen Victoria turned to Sir Robert. "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."

The Doctor frowned. "So, what's this wolf, then?"

Sir Robert shook his head. "It's just a story." He waved off.

"Then tell it."

Sir Robert glanced around at one of the household staff very uncomfortably. "It's said that-" he said, haltingly.

"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark," one of the household staff interjected.

"Of course. Yes, of course."

"And then supper. And... could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness," Queen Victoria said.

"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose said, pointedly.

Queen Victoria glanced around at her and decided to ignore this comment and turned back to Sir Robert. The Doctor muttered something to Rose who poked him in the chest, making the Priestess flinch at the familiar gesture towards _her_ Bondmate.

"Sir Robert, your wife must've left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all, there is a full moon tonight."

"So there is, ma'am," Sir Robert murmured, hesitantly.

He bowed, and the Queen left the room followed by the others.

* * *

In one of the bedrooms of the manor, Rose went to one of the wardrobes and opened the door, finding a brown dress which she held up to herself in the mirror, testing it against her body. She almost immediately put it back, grimacing at the possibility.

Rose held a frilly blouse up to herself, laughed, and put it back in the wardrobe, shaking her head at the thought.

Rose held up a pretty blue dress to herself and twirled around a bit, deciding that she liked the feeling of this particular dress. She placed the dress down on the bed, crossed the room and opened another wardrobe door. She screamed when she saw a young maid crouched inside, breathing heavily with fear.

* * *

Rose and the young maid, Flora, were sitting on the bed.

"They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady," Flora whispered, scared.

Rose squeezed her hand, comfortingly. "Listen, I've got a friend, he's called the Doctor, he'll know what to do. You've gotta come with me," she said, earnestly.

"Oh, but I can't, Miss," Flora murmured.

"What's your name?" Rose asked, softly.

"Flora."

"Flora, we'll be safe. There's more people arrived downstairs, soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on. Okay? Come on," Rose murmured, comfortingly.

Rose peered cautiously out of the door and seeing that the coast is clear, grabbed onto Flora's hand and led her down the corridor. Just around the corner lay one of the unconscious guards.

"Oh, Miss, I did warn you!" Flora moaned.

Rose knelt and felt for a pulse. "He's not dead... I don't think, he must be drugged or something."

Flora was grabbed from behind by a monk and his hand stifled a scream that tore from her throat. She was dragged away, and before Rose could react in any way, she was also grabbed and dragged away. One of the monks dragged the guard away, the head monk stepped over his body and went through a door into the dining room.

* * *

The monk walked into the Torchwood House dining room and turned to the Doctor.

"Your companion begs an apology, Doctor. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her," the monk said.

"Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham," the Doctor muttered.

"The feral child could probably eat it raw," the Queen joked, lightly.

The Priestess grimaced and opened her mouth to say something vicious to the Queen, but the Doctor reached over and squeezed her thigh, warningly, asking her silently not to say something. She stared at him, incredulously, wondering how he could just let someone, be they Queen or a peasant, insult one of his friends and get away with it. The Doctor patted her leg, comfortingly, his fingers trailing under the soft fabric, moving closer to the damp flesh between her thighs, before she grabbed onto his wrist, stilling him, and warning him not to try anything here of all places.

 _Later, beloved,_ she promised, seductively.

 _I'll hold you to it,_ the Doctor growled, his eyes darker than usual.

Captain Reynolds laughed, boisterously. "Very wise, Ma'am! Very witty!"

Queen Victoria stared at him, appraisingly. "Slightly witty, perhaps. I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited... I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury."

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am." The Captain's face fell and he meekly replied.

"Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert! Come, Sir! You promised us a tale of nightmares," the Doctor said, cheerfully.

"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction," the queen said, somewhat excitedly.

"You must miss him," the Priestess said, softly.

The Queen looked at her, both of them recognizing a familiar loss in each others' eyes. "Very much," she confessed, lost in her own thoughts. "Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the... hope of some contact with the great beyond." The Doctor and the Priestess looked at her, intensely. "We all want some message from that place... it's the Creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent. And we must wait."

She shrugged herself out of this line of thought, but the Doctor and the Priestess remained solemn, remembering what it felt like to lose their family and feel that loss every day.

"Come! Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters!"

* * *

There was pale, bald man sitting quietly in his cage.

"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us," a well-dressed lady hissed at Rose.

"But... he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us," Rose protested, quietly.

"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal," the woman whispered, her voice full of fear.

The man in the cage raised his head slowly and opened his eyes, which were completely black, whites and pupils. The well-dressed lady and her household staff whimpered, and Rose stared, stunned and scared.

* * *

Sir Robert cleared his throat. "The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and... devoured."

"Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves. Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that," Captain Reynolds waved off, secure in his own beliefs.

Queen Victoria looked mildly irritated at the Captain's skepticism.

"But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation. A boy will vanish from his homestead," Sir Robert murmured.

* * *

Rose stood, deciding that she would approach the man in the cage.

"Don't, child," Lady Isobel hissed.

Rose chose to ignore her. She edged slowly towards the man, the chains around her legs rattling slightly. When she was as close as the chains will allow her, she knelt in front of the man.

"Who are you?" she asked, quietly.

"Don't enrage him," the steward warned.

"Where are you from? You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?" Rose asked, coldly.

"Oh... intelligence..." the man drawled.

"Where were you born?"

"This body... ten miles away... a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart," the man growled, eerily.

* * *

"Do descriptions of the creature exist?" the Priestess asked, her toffee-coloured eyes flashing with interest.

"Oh, yes, Miss Tess. Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal," Sir Robert said, ominously.

The Doctor and the Priestess leaned forward, intrigued. "A werewolf?" they both said, simultaneously.

* * *

"All right... so the body's human... but what about you? The thing inside?" Rose asked, carefully, narrowing her eyes at the man.

"So far from home," the man murmured, as if to himself.

"If you wanna get back home, we can help," Rose offered, quietly.

"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose," the man muttered.

Rose frowned. "How would you do that?" she asked.

The man smirked. "I would migrate to the Holy Monarch," he said, loftily.

Rose paled and her eyes widened like saucers. "You mean Queen Victoria?" she asked, trembling.

"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions..." the man hissed, sadistically.

He suddenly lunged forward, making all of the prisoners, including Rose, jump and gasp in shock and terror, reeling back as far way as possible.

"Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!" the man hissed, his darker than night eyes boring into Rose's.

Rose frowned in confusion, her brow furrowing. "Seen what?" she demanded.

"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!" the man snarled, his figure hitting the bars with a loud smack.

Rose stared at him, breathing heavily. "I don't know what you mean," she whispered, remembering what it was like to open up the TARDIS and have the whole of time and space running through her veins.

No, she didn't remember.

"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon," the man crooned.

* * *

"My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose," Sir Robert said, swallowing hard, watching as one of the monk's attention was caught by something outside the window. "I should've listened," he murmured, regretfully, glancing around the monk. "His work was hindered, he made enemies. There's a Monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations." He said, quickly, as to avoid any suspicion.

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly," Queen Victoria said, loftily.

"That's what I thought. But now I wonder... what if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet?" Sir Robert asked, ominously.

Suddenly, the Priestess' attention was caught by the monk, who was standing at the window, chanting in Latin under his breath, the same phrase, over and over again, "lupus deus est". She nudged the Doctor in the side, surreptitiously gesturing for him to look at the monk.

"What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?" Sir Robert asked, haltingly.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a grim look, both of them coming to the same conclusion.

"And what if they were with us right now?" the Priestess asked, grimly.

* * *

The doors of the cellar were thrown open and the moonlight flooded in, bathing the man in the cage with its glow. He pressed his face against the bars, his eyes closing with a blissful smile.

"Moonlight..." he purred as if it was the only thing he had ever wanted in his life.

The prisoners shifted around uncomfortably, not knowing what to make of this, but knowing that something was seriously wrong. The man sheds his cloak, leaving him naked in the cage. A wind blew through the cellar and the man grasped the bars of the cage.

"All of you! Stop looking at it! Flora, don't look, listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull!" Rose shouted, her own hands shaking at the thought of what was to come. She tugged on the chain with all of her strength, intent on breaking the links so that they could escape. "Come on! With me! Pull!" she urged.

All of the prisoners could hear growling sounds coming from the cage, and Lady Isobel simply stared at it in horror.

"I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you! And that means you, your Ladyship! Now come on, pull!" she said, sharply.

They all jumped to their feet and helped Rose pull on the chains that bound them, trying to free it from the wall.

* * *

The monk was still standing by the window, chanting in a low voice, as the room turned to chaos.

"What is the meaning of this?" Queen Victoria raged, sharply.

Captain Reynolds aimed his gun at Sir Robert, the vein in his neck twitching. "Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" he growled.

Queen Victoria looked around, desperately. "What's happening-"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife," Sir Robert said, apologetically, his face falling.

The Priestess' eyes widened, and she spun around to face the monk at the window. "Rose!"

The Doctor paled, reaching the same worry the Priestess had, and started shouting at the monk, losing his Scottish accent in his concern. "Where's Rose? Where is she?!"

The monk ignored them and carried on chanting.

The Doctor cursed under his breath and turned to Sir Robert. "Sir Robert, come on!" he called out, thinking that Rose was probably in the same place as Sir Robert's wife.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Sir Robert ran from the room. Captain Reynolds pointed his gun directly at the monk at the window, who hadn't turned around once.

* * *

The man in the cage was slowly transforming into a wolf. He screamed in pain as his skin bulged horribly. His screams turned into growls as he began to look more and more like a wolf, his bones snapping and his skin growing dark brown fur.

"... Three... Pull!" Rose shouted.

They all tugged on the chain, desperately trying to free themselves. However, the transformation was all but complete.

"One, two, three, pull!" Rose shouted again, intent on escaping no matter what.

* * *

"Tell me, sir. I demand to know your intention!" Captain Reynolds snarled at the monk, taking a step forwards in front of Queen Victoria, intending on protecting her from whatever threat the monk posed.

"Lupus deus est. Lupus deus est. Lu-"

"What is it that you want?" the captain asked, sharply.

The monk stopped chanting suddenly. He turned to face Captain Reynolds, who had his gun pointed directly at him.

"The throne," the monk said with a sick grin plastered across his face.

He very suddenly wrenched Captain Reynolds' gun aside and hit him directly in the face, the Queen's eyes widening as she watched her last form of protection fall straight to the ground, limp.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Sir Robert raced down a corridor.

* * *

The werewolf's transformation was pretty much complete. The creature inside the cage growled and flexed its claws as the prisoners screamed in dismay and horror.

"One, two, three, pull!" Rose continued to show, her eyes reflecting the determination.

And finally, the chain came away from the wall, freeing all of the prisoners.

The Doctor kicked down the door to the cellar.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rose asked, sharply, glaring at the Doctor and the Priestess.

The Priestess nudged the Doctor and made him turn to look at the werewolf, her hands freezing at her side, as a wave of exhilaration ran through her entire body, sending her hearts beating. The Doctor turned and stared at the werewolf with wide-eyed awe as it grabbed a hold of the bars of the cage.

"Oh, that's beautiful!" the Doctor breathed in wonder.

Sir Robert grabbed onto his wife. "Get out!" he ordered.

The wolf began to bend and break the bars, throwing the cage off as if it were no weight at all. The household staff were all clamouring to get out of the room, each stepping over each other to rush out the door. The Priestess tugged on the Doctor's wrist and he suddenly remembered the urgency of the situation and turned back to them.

"Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!" the Doctor shouted, ushering everyone out of the cellar.

"Doctor, we must leave," the Priestess urged, lowly, eyeing the werewolf with interest and trepidation.

The werewolf stood tall, free of the cage. He threw the top of it across the room, narrowly missing the Priestess and the Doctor who finally stopped staring and grabbed onto the Priestess' wrist, the two of them making a run for it. They slammed the door behind them, and the Priestess pulled out her newly made sonic lipstick, locking the door to the cellar.

"I'm still wondering why you made it a sonic lipstick and not a screwdriver," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

"As it would look strange for a woman of my age to walk around, carrying a screwdriver for absolutely no reason," the Priestess said, shaking her head. "No one would question why a woman in her late twenties was carrying around a tube of lipstick in her pocket, now would they?" She looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The wolf stretched up and howled at the moon.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Hope you all liked the way _Tooth and Claw_ started off. I hope you also liked the way I characterised the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose after the Doctor's regeneration. I'm trying to make him loving with the Priestess but also distancing himself at the same time, allowing for some jealousy from the Priestess. I'm also trying to let him have some of those moments with Rose, so we can see the deterioration of his relationship with the Priestess, like how he ignored the Priestess' wish to go and see the Battle of Trafalgar at the beginning. I think if he has some of those moments with Rose, it'll make more sense for the Priestess to feel jealous and to feel like her relationship with the Doctor is falling apart.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a review if you like it!

 **Reviews** :

 _Kurosaga Kururugi_ : Thank you.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _Kore353_ : Thank you!

 _CrystalVixen93_ : Thank you!


	7. Tooth and Claw: Wolfsbane

_**A/N**_ : Here's the second part of _Tooth and Claw_. Hope you all like the chapter!

 _ **Warnings**_ : Fluff. Sexual Content.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Tooth and Claw: Wolfsbane**

 _The werewolf stood tall, free of the cage. He threw the top of it across the room, narrowly missing the Priestess and the Doctor who finally stopped staring and grabbed onto the Priestess' wrist, the two of them making a run for it. They slammed the door behind them and the Priestess pulled out her newly made sonic lipstick, locking the door to the cellar._

" _I'm still wondering why you made it a sonic lipstick and not a screwdriver," the Doctor muttered under his breath._

" _As it would look strange for a woman of my age to walk around, carrying a screwdriver for absolutely no reason," the Priestess said, shaking her head. "No one would question why a woman in her late twenties was carrying around a tube of lipstick in her pocket, now would they?" She looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world._

 _The wolf stretched up and howls at the moon._

The steward handed guns to all the men. "Arms... and your strife... ready everyone?" He turned to Lady Isobel. "Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen," he ordered, gently.

Lady Isobel approached her husband. "I can't leave you. What will you do?" she pleaded.

Sir Robert shook his head. "I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me, just go."

Lady Isobel kissed him hard and then rounded up her maids. "All of you at my side, come on!" she ordered, sharply.

Lady Isobel pulled them through to the kitchen, while the Priestess was using her sonic lipstick to relieve Rose of the handcuffs.

"When'd you get a sonic lipstick?" Rose asked, confused, eyeing the lipstick tube.

The Priestess shrugged. "The Doctor thought it best that I have my own sonic device. He wanted to transform another screwdriver, but I thought it more inconspicuous that I have a more feminine device."

The Doctor twisted the Priestess to face him. "It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths," he said, quickly. He turned to Rose. "Did it say what it wanted?

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne, you name it," Rose said, dryly.

There was a thumping sound from the direction of the cellar and all three of them looked around. The Doctor and the Priestess ventured out into the corridor to investigate, the Doctor making sure that the Priestess was firmly behind them. The wolf had managed to knock down the door and was standing at the other end of the corridor, expectantly. He and the Doctor and the Priestess stared at one another for a few moments before the werewolf growled and the Doctor and the Priestess ran back into the room. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her behind the line of men with guns poised and ready.

"Fire!" the steward shouted.

All of the men shot at the wolf, who stumbled back a few steps from the force of the gunpowder making contact with its body.

"Fire!" the steward instructed again.

Rose flinched from the sound of the bullets as the men fired again.

* * *

The room with the firing squad was full of the leftover smoke from the gunpowder, but there was no sign of the wolf.

"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me," the Doctor ordered, gently.

The steward shook his head. "I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."

The Doctor's eyes darkened. "I'm telling you, come upstairs!" he said, angrily.

"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall."

The steward strode across the room to look down the corridor, checking for any sign of the wolf. The Doctor and the Priestess watched him, both looking extremely angry and concerned. Apparently seeing nothing, the steward strode back, looking mildly triumphant.

"Must've crawled away to die-" he started to say, triumphantly.

And he was lifted clean through the ceiling by the wolf and the Doctor and the Priestess closed their eyes when they could hear him being devoured.

"There is nothing we can do," the Priestess snapped at the rest of the men.

The Doctor grabbed a hold of Rose and pushed her from the room with him, the Priestess rushing after them. Some of the firing squad stood frozen, and were immediately devoured by the wolf.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Sir Robert hurried into a room of the manor house. The Doctor slammed the door behind them and locked it with his sonic screwdriver.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sir Robert called out, looking around for the queen, desperately.

Queen Victoria came down the stairs, looking completely nonchalant, despite the danger that was occurring under her very feet. "Sir Robert! What's happening?" she asked.

The Doctor pulled the Priestess along and they dashed off somewhere.

"I heard such terrible noises," Queen Victoria told Sir Robert.

"Your Majesty, we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?" Sir Robert looked around for any sign of the evil monk.

Queen Victoria shook her head. "Captain Reynolds disposed of him," she informed him.

The Doctor and the Priestess joined them.

"The front door is useless; the monks have boarded it shut," the Priestess told them.

The Doctor nodded. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, you'll have to leg it out of a window," he told them, mimicking them running.

He gestured through a door and Queen Victoria obliged, with her head held high. Sir Robert followed and they found themselves in another upstairs room.

"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress," Sir Robert said, deferential.

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh," Queen Victoria said, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" the Doctor asked, impatiently.

Sir Robert climbed onto the windowsill and he had to immediately dodge out of the way as he was shot at by the monks who were standing guard outside, acting like a perimeter outside the manor house. The Doctor and the Priestess stared out of the window, their eyes wide.

"I do not believe that the monks outside have any intention of letting us leave the house," the Priestess murmured.

"Do they know who I am?" Queen Victoria asked, looking in between the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Yes. The fact that you are the Queen of England is the reason why the wolf is pursuing you." The Priestess nodded. She hesitated. "The wolf intends to bite you."

Queen Victoria shook her head. "Now, stop this talk," she said, sharply. "There can't be an actual wolf."

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than a howling rang through the house, setting all of their teeth on edge. The company spun around, alarmed, and left the room, hurriedly. They ran into a hallway and the wolf was battering on the door.

"What do we do?" Rose asked, desperately, looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Priestess, who shook her head. "We... run!"

"Is that it?!" Rose shrieked.

"Well, do you have any silver bullets on you?" the Priestess asked, sharply, glaring at Rose.

Rose scowled back. "Not on me, no!"

"Then, we have absolutely no other choice but to run," the Priestess said, simply.

The Doctor turned to Queen Victoria. "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog." He jogged on the spot to demonstrate. "Good for the health. Come on!"

The Doctor grabbed the Queen's hand and led her from the room. They ran as fast as they could up the staircase. From the stairs, they could hear the wolf breaking down the door of the room they had just been and the wolf bounding up the staircase after them.

"Come on! Come on!" the Doctor shouted.

Having reached the top of the stairs, they ran through the corridors, the wolf close on their tails. It was nearly upon them, ready to pounce, when Captain Reynolds appeared out of nowhere, holding a gun. He pulled the trigger and the wolf reeled backwards down the corridor. The Captain ducked behind the corridor where the others are standing, out of breath.

"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty," Captain Reynolds told the Doctor.

"I have it. It's safe," Queen Victoria said, reassuringly.

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown." Captain Reynolds cocked his gun.

"Bullets cannot stop the wolf," the Priestess protested.

"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" the captain called out.

He positioned himself at the end of the corridor, gun held ready. Queen Victoria and Sir Robert had already started running in the opposite direction, followed by the Doctor and the Priestess, and finally by Rose who stared at Captain Reynolds in dismay for a few seconds. The Doctor, the Priestess, Sir Robert and Queen Victoria ran into the library. Rose stopped outside the door and watched as Captain Reynolds shot at the werewolf as it bounded down the corridor towards him, pounced upon him and then ripped him into shreds. Rose remained frozen in horror and could not move.

"Rose!" the Doctor called out, noticing that she was missing from their little party.

He rushed back out into the corridor, grabbed Rose around the waist and pulled her into the room just in time for the Priestess to slam the door shut.

Sir Robert and Rose helped the Doctor and the Priestess barricade the doors with chairs and bits and pieces of wood.

"Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute..." the Doctor hissed, and they all fell silent, stopping in their tracks.

The wolf howled into the silence.

"It has stopped," the Priestess said, tentatively.

The Doctor jumped onto one of the chairs that they had shoved against the wall and he pressed his ear against the door. Right on the other side, the wolf sniffed against the door and growled, baring its teeth. Then, it turned and left.

"It's gone," the Doctor muttered.

"Listen," the Priestess said, shaking her head.

Footsteps could be heard padding around the outside of the room. The Doctor climbed quietly down from the chair and there was dead silence in the library as they followed the wolf's progress around the room, absolutely terrified, not even daring to breath. The Queen was shaking violently.

"Is this the only door?" the Priestess whispered to Sir Robert.

"Yes." Sir Robert nodded. Then, his eyes widened. "No!" he shouted.

And he dashed to the other door with the Doctor and they barricaded it shut.

"Hush!" the Priestess snapped at them, waving their hands at them to silence them.

All of them looked around uneasily as they heard the sounds the werewolf was making, and then it stopped as footsteps padded away into the distance.

"That makes absolutely no sense. What is in this room that prevents the wolf from entering?" the Priestess asked, confused.

Sir Robert sat on one of the chairs barricading his door and put his head in his hands.

"What is it? Why can't it get in?" the Doctor asked.

"I'll tell you what, though..." Rose trailed off.

The Doctor turned to look at her. "What?"

"Werewolf...!" Rose hissed, her eyes lighting up.

The Doctor let out a short laugh. "I know!" he crowed.

Rose half-laughed and she and the Doctor threw their arms around each other.

"You all right?" the Doctor asked Rose, worriedly.

Rose nodded, emphatically, her stomach fluttering at the thought of him worrying about her. "I'm okay, yeah!" she said, reassuringly.

The Doctor turned around to face the Priestess, and she had a sudden thought that maybe she was second choice to him, since he had first turned to Rose to ask her how she was. The Priestess shook her head, minutely, to free herself of those thoughts. There was no need to think about that right now.

"And you, you good?" the Doctor asked, lowly, staring deep into her eyes.

The Priestess nodded, swiftly, and smiled. "I am fine, Doctor."

Queen Victoria stared at them, her eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Sir Robert said from behind them. "It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I... thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?"

"Well, they were bald, athletic... your wife's away, I just thought you were happy," the Doctor said, loftily.

The Priestess turned around to stare at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow. _Is that what you believe? Would you be happy if I were away?_ she demanded.

And saying the words out loud was like hitting herself in the face. She wondered if that was the reason the Doctor had barely returned to Gallifrey after stealing the TARDIS for the first time. Had he been happy, away from her and their children? Is that why he had left? Because he wanted to leave them? No, the Doctor loved her, and he had loved their children, but she couldn't help but think that maybe he hadn't ever intended to take her travelling with him because travelling had been an escape from her.

 _Of course not_ , the Doctor hastened to reassure her. The idea to him was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. _Him, not me, love. How could I ever be happy without you_?

The Priestess was everything to him. He had barely been existing until he had found her in Van Statten's museum.

The Priestess pursed her lips and looked away.

"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose said, innocently.

The Priestess rounded on Rose, her eyes suddenly furious and dark against her dark skin. "This is _not_ the time for that silly joke, Rose. People have died, show some respect," she said, coldly.

Rose shrunk back, suddenly made to feel small by the Priestess' scolding tone. "I'm sorry," she said, meekly.

"What, exactly, I pray someone, please, what exactly is that creature?" Queen Victoria snapped.

The Doctor scratched his head. "You'd call it a werewolf."

"Technically, it is more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform," the Priestess finished.

"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" Queen Victoria looked at the Doctor, sharply, whose eyes widened as he realised that he had dropped his Scottish accent.

"Oh... right, sorry-"

"I'll not have it. No, sir… not you... not that thing... none of it. This is not my world," Queen Victoria said, holding her head up high.

* * *

The Doctor touched the woodwork, where there was a carving of mistletoe on the door, and beckoned the Priestess to come and join him.

"Mistletoe," the Priestess murmured and the Doctor nodded.

The Doctor turned back to Sir Robert. "Sir Robert, did you father put that there?"

Sir Robert shrugged. "I don't know, I suppose..."

"On the other door, too... a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder..." the Doctor trailed off and leaned in, licking the woodwork. "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe." He turned to the Doctor.

"It has been worked into the wood in the form of a varnish." The Priestess' eyes dawned with realisation.

"How clever was your dad? I love him!" the Doctor crowed, excitedly. He turned to Rose. "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."

Rose's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing when she noticed how close the Doctor and the Priestess were standing next to each other. She grimaced, deciding to ignore it, and instead focused on the way the Doctor's arms had wrapped around her waist during their hug earlier.

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose wondered.

"Well, it thinks it is." The Doctor smirked, winking at the Priestess who realised where he was going with this.

"The monks would have needed a method with which to control the wolf, so they conditioned the wolf to believe that it is allergic to mistletoe," the Priestess explained to the others.

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," Sir Robert said.

The Doctor grimaced. "Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?"

The Priestess rolled her eyes. "You are being rude again," she scolded him, gently.

"Good. I meant that one," the Doctor said and they made their way towards the bookshelves.

The Doctor turned back to face Sir Robert. "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world." He slid his glasses on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have." He pulled some books off the shelf, handed a few to the Priestess, and chucked some to Rose. "Arm yourself."

* * *

The Priestess, the Doctor, Rose and Sir Robert were frantically flicking through the books, talking over one another.

"Biology, zoology... there might be something on wolves in here..." Rose muttered to herself.

The Doctor chucked a book to Rose. "Hold on, what about this?"

Sir Robert flicked through his own. "... some form of explosive..."

"Hmm, that's the sort of thing."

"I think I may have found something." The Priestess jumped down from the ladder, holding a book, which she put down and spread across the table.

The Doctor scanned the page, quickly. "Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth."

On the open page, there was an illustration of a rock falling to Earth from the sky. Rose and Sir Robert gathered around the Doctor and the Priestess.

"A spaceship?" Rose asked, still holding a stack of books against her chest.

The Priestess peered down at the book. "A shooting star," she corrected. "'In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.'"

"That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery," Sir Robert told them.

Rose frowned. "But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?"

"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host," The Doctor murmured.

"But why does it want the throne?" Sir Robert asked.

Rose nodded. "That's what it wants. It said so, the... the Empire of the Wolf."

The Doctor and the Priestess looked at each with alarm.

"Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated..." the Doctor trailed off, a dark entering his eyes.

"Starships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake..." the Priestess finished.

Queen Victoria stood up, suddenly. "Sir Robert!" she called out. Sir Robert went over to her. "If I am to die here..."

"Don't say that, Your Majesty," Sir Robert protested.

Queen Victoria shook her head. "I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself." She opened her bag.

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables," the Doctor scoffed from the table.

Queen Victoria glared at him. "Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this."

And she took a large diamond about the size of her first from her bag and held it in the palm of her hand.

Rose looked startled. "Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" she asked, amazed.

"Oh, yes... the greatest diamond in the world," the Doctor murmured.

The Doctor and Rose shuffled forward for a closer look, while the Priestess peered at the picture in the book, and wondered why the monks had been eager to bring the queen to this house.

 _The queen must be bitten, but why this house in particular?_

"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die," Queen Victoria murmured.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?" He held out his hand for the diamond and Queen Victoria handed it ove after some hesitance. He pushed his glasses down his nose to look at it closely and Rose prodded it, her eyes wide. "That is so beautiful," he murmured to himself.

"How much is that worth?" Rose asked.

"They say the wages of the entire planet for a whole week," the Priestess told her from the table. The Doctor turned back to look at her with surprise, having not expected her to know of the Koh-I-Noor diamond. A smile played on her lips. "What? Even I have a fancy for pretty things, Doctor." She smirked.

Rose peered at the diamond. "Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."

The Doctor snorted. "And she'd win," he joked, making her laugh.

"Where is the wolf?" Sir Robert asked, walking away. "I don't trust this silence."

"Neither do I, Sir Robert," the Priestess muttered and started to look around the room.

"Why do you travel with it?" the Doctor asked the queen.

"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting."

"Oh, but it's perfect," Rose said, fondly.

The Queen smiled to herself. "My late husband never thought so."

The Doctor slid his glasses off. "Now, there's a fact, Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting."

"He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished," the Queen finished, her eyes sad, the black of her dress contrasting against the white of her face.

"Unfinished... oh, yes!"

The Doctor tossed the diamond back to Queen Victoria, who caught it, haphazardly, with alarm on her face. He turned to the Priestess, whose eyes were also dawning with realisation.

"Oh, yes, there's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, hold on." The Doctor ruffled his hair violently in his eagerness and desperation to work it out. "All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head!"

The Priestess reached out, simply, and smacked the Doctor across the face, the slap ringing through the entire room and setting the Doctor straight.

He inhaled and gave her a grateful look. "Thanks for that." He pecked her on the forehead. He turned to the Queen. "What if this house, it's a trap for you, is that right, Ma'am?"

"Obviously."

"At least, that's what the wolf intended," the Doctor said.

"But, what if there is a trap inside the trap?" the Priestess said, exchanging a look with the Doctor. "A trap for the wolf inside of the trap for you."

"Explain yourself," the Queen said, sharply.

"What if his father and your husband were not just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all of this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you... but for the wolf," the Doctor finished.

The Priestess was drawn to the sound of scraping coming from the ceiling and she tugged at the Doctor, just as a fine sprinkling of plaster falls from the ceiling. They all looked up, and the werewolf was walking over the glass dome above their heads, looking down at them and growling.

"That wolf there…" the Doctor murmured.

The glass of the dome started to crack, the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose throw down their books and together with Queen Victoria ran to the door.

"Out! Out! Out!" the Doctor shouted.

As the werewolf crashed through the oculus, smashing the desk, the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Sir Robert destroyed their barricade and ran out into the corridor.

"Your Majesty!" Sir Robert called out.

The Doctor took one last look at the roaring wolf before slamming the doors closed.

* * *

The four of them ran down the corridor.

"Gotta get to the observatory!" the Doctor shouted, leading the four.

They careened around a corner, the werewolf close behind them. Rose turned around and was absolutely transfixed by the wolf. Just as the wolf was on her, she screamed and Lady Isobel threw a pan of mistletoe water onto the wolf. Rose screamed again, but the werewolf bounded back down the corridor away from them.

"Good shot!" the Doctor crowed.

"It was mistletoe!" Lady Isobel informed him.

The Doctor and the Priestess followed the wolf away down the corridor.

"Isobel!" Sir Robert exclaimed and he and Isobel kissed while the Doctor and the Priestess made sure the wolf had disappeared.

"Get back downstairs," Sir Robert told his wife.

"Keep yourself safe."

Sir Robert nodded and they kissed again.

"You go." Sir Robert told them.

Lady Isobel and the maids ran past Sir Robert and made their way back to the kitchen.

"Girls, come with me. Down the backstairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!"

As they ran off, Sir Robert stared after his wife, a look in his eyes that suggested he was wondering if he'd ever see her again.

"Come on!" the Doctor called out.

They set off at run again down the corridor.

"The observatory's this way!" Sir Robert told them.

They reached the central staircase and hurried up it as fast as they could but the werewolf recovered quickly and soon returned to the chase. They finally arrived at the observatory, the Doctor in the lead.

* * *

"No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside. I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!" the Doctor called out.

"Just do your work and I'll defend it," Sir Robert said, finally.

The Doctor seemed to ignore Sir Robert. "If we could bind them shut with rope or something!"

"I said I'd find you time, sir," Sir Robert said, determinedly.

Rose and Queen Victoria stared at him, aghast, realising what Sir Robert was about to do.

"Now, get inside," Sir Robert said, sternly.

The Doctor looked at him for a second and looked at the Priestess, wondering if there was anything they could do for him.

"Good man," he said, finally.

Sir Robert closed the door and the Doctor ran to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, the diamond," he asked.

"For what purpose?" the Queen asked, confused.

"The purpose it was designed for," the Priestess explained.

* * *

In the observatory, Queen Victoria handed over the diamond from her bag. The Doctor ran over to the mechanism for the telescope.

"'Tess!" the Doctor called out and the Priestess ran to him.

She stood on the other side of the wheel and they struggled to turn the wheel, but the cogs started to shift and the telescope to rise.

The Priestess' hands strained against the wheel. "Do you truly believe that this will this work?" she asked, sceptically. "The dimensions of the telescope seem to be correct, but-"

"It will," the Doctor said, sternly, her voice brooking no argument.

* * *

Inside the observatory, Rose looked hopelessly terrified at Sir Robert's final screams. Queen Victoria held up her crucifix, as the werewolf could be heard battering against the door. The gears continued to grind while Queen Victoria murmured a prayer under her breath.

Rose rushed over to the Doctor and the Priestess. "You said this thing doesn't work!" she exclaimed.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is!" the Doctor explained.

"It is a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays in the method of a weapon," the Priestess finished.

"We've just got to power it up!" the Doctor said, sharply.

"But there's no electricity!" Rose exclaimed. The Doctor grunted and the Priestess' eyes turned to the light chamber. Her eyes dawned with realisation. "Moonlight! But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!"

"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!" the Doctor grunted and the Priestess shoved the wheel as hard as she could and the light chamber finally started to align with the moon.

"Come on!" the Doctor snarled.

At last, it was properly aligned. The Priestess and the Doctor stepped away from the gears as the moonlight bounced off the prisms. Just as the werewolf broke through the door, the light spewed forth from the end of the light chamber onto the floor far short of the werewolf. The werewolf advanced on the Queen but the Doctor dove across the floor and threw the Koh-I-Noor into the middle of the beam of light. A fantastic, prismatic beam of light hit the werewolf and he was lifted off the floor and hung there, caught in the wash of moonlight. As they looked on, the werewolf changed back into a naked, human male.

"Make it brighter. Let me go," the human host whispered.

The Priestess pursed her lips and slowly walked across to the light chamber and flicked a switch. With a final howl from the wolf, the creature vanished and the light shut off. Rose breathed a huge sigh of relief. The Queen, however, was staring intently at a wound on her wrist. The Doctor noticed her and paled.

"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" the Doctor asked, plainly.

"No, it's... it's a cut," the Queen stammered.

"If that thing bit you…" the Doctor began to say.

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart," the Queen protested.

"Let me see," he pleaded, sternly.

The Queen pulled her hand away, sharply, before the Doctor could take a proper look. "It is nothing," she said, finally.

The Doctor stared at her, obviously not believing her.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose stepped forwards and knelt before Queen Victoria. Everyone was present including Lady Isobel and the maids, the former dressed in a black veil with tears on her cheeks.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor and Dame Priestess of TARDIS."

The Queen tapped the Doctor and the Priestess on each of their shoulders with a sword.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate."

The Queen tapped Rose on each shoulder with the sword.

"You may stand," she ordered.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose slid to their feet.

"Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor grinned and the Priestess smiled.

"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home," Rose half-laughed, winking at Flora, one of Lady Isobel's maids.

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave," the Doctor said, softly and reassuringly.

A sad smile appeared on the Queen's lips, before it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused."

The Doctor groaned, while Rose looked jubilant, both of them shrinking back when they saw the vicious glare that the Priestess turned on them.

"Not remotely amused," the Queen said, coldly.

Rose tried to make an effort to wipe the smirk off her face.

"And henceforth... I banish you." The Queen smiled, serenely.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose looked stunned.

"I'm sorry…?" the Doctor's eyes widened, comically.

"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the three of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars, and magic, and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life," she said, angrily, and stepped away from them. "Now leave my world. And never return." She said, commandingly.

* * *

Rose, the Priestess and the Doctor hitched a lift on the back of a farmer's cart and it came to a halt.

"Woah!" the farmer cried out, pulling on the reins of the horses.

They jumped off the back of a farmer's cart back in the highlands near where they had parked the TARDIS.

"Cheers, Dougal!" the Doctor called out to the farmer and he waved as they walked away and the farmer drove off. "You know, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood! It's historical record haemophiliac. It used to be called the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it her dad didn't have it, it came from nowhere!"

Rose stared at the Doctor with amazement. "What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?"

"Well, perhaps haemophilia is simply a Victorian euphemism," the Priestess said, loftily, smiling to herself.

Rose looked at her, stunned, a smile playing on her lips. "For werewolf?" she asked, incredulously.

"Could be!" the Doctor smirked.

Rose took in a sharp breath. "Queen Victoria's a werewolf?"

"Could be! And, her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip."

"So, the royal family are werewolves?" Rose asked, incredulously.

"Well… maybe not yet," the Doctor drawled.

"A single wolf cell would take one hundred years to mature," the Priestess explained.

The Doctor nodded. "Might be ready by… ooh… early 21st century...?"

Rose shook her head. "Nah! That's just ridiculous!" She looked thoughtful for a second. "Mind you… Princess Anne...!"

The Doctor shrugged. "I'll say no more."

Rose giggled. "And if you think about it... they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They-they could schedule themselves around the moon and we'd never know!" she exclaimed, her eyes bright.

The Doctor sniggered as they reached the TARDIS and he opened the door. All three of them bundled in.

"They like hunting! They love blood sports!"

The Doctor and the Priestess laughed, walking up to the console, and the Priestess pressed the button for dematerialisation.

"Oh my God, they're werewolves!" Rose shrieked in amazement.

The three of them doubled over in laughter over the sound of the TARDIS engines until it had completely vanished.

* * *

"So, werewolves, huh? Didn't think they existed," the Doctor exclaimed, shutting the door of their bedroom closed and jumping under the covers of their bed.

"Well, technically, it was not a werewolf, but a lupine wavelength-"

Before the Priestess could finish her sentence, the Doctor simply leaned over and crushed his lips against hers, silencing her. The Priestess squeaked in surprise and one of her hands came up to cup the Doctor's cheek in her palm, and the other went to run through the Doctor's hair, moaning at the way his lips moved over hers.

She felt herself leaning back against the pillow as the Doctor came to rest his body on top of hers, balancing himself on his two elbows next to her head. His hand brushed her hair away from her face, exposing her long, graceful neck. His clever mouth found the soft, supple skin of her neck and his tongue was intent on giving her a mark that would show everyone just who she belonged to. As his tongue moved over skin, the Priestess vocalised her appreciation for her ministrations by sharply tugging at his hair with her fingers.

Her legs came up to wrap around her waist and she ground into him from below, making him growl into her neck, the rumble of his chest sending her shivering. She hissed in annoyance and her hands slipped in between their bodies to divest him of his pyjama top, undoing the buttons, fervently. She slipped the shirt off his shoulders and threw it somewhere against the, pressing her hands against his shoulders and flipping them over so that she was straddling him instead. The Doctor's hands fell to her shoulders, dragging down the thin straps of her slip down her skin, her eyes never leaving his. The Doctor traced the neckline of her slip, the Priestess' head tipping back as his fingers dipped into her cleavage, making her whimper and her legs tighten around him.

The Priestess smiled, wantonly, and leaned down, brushing her hair onto side, as she trailed kisses across his collarbone and down his chest, his fingers fisting in her dark curls. She ran her hands from his shoulders, across his muscles, down to his abdomen, her fingers tracing every indent in her skin. She slowly then dragged her nails up the same way they had come.

"I have wanted to touch you in this way all day long," she confessed, a blush rising in her cheeks, feeling him tremble under her ministrations.

The Doctor's hands caressed up and down her back. "So, why didn't you?"

"Well, for one, we were surrounded by others. We had just met the Queen of England and your little blonde human would have been scandalised if I had touched you in the way I wanted to," she leaned down and purred in his ear. Her hands slid down to the waistband of his pyjama pants, intent on sliding them down.

Just as her sleek fingers slid down to his pants, the Doctor took in a sharp breath and grabbed her hands before they could reach their destination, and pulled them up and kissed her fingers, reverently.

"I love you, dearly," he hummed and the Priestess looked up at him, questioningly, her eyes wide and her pupils dilated. He shook her head, staring at the expectant look on her face. "Not yet, love." He said, lowly. A slow, heated smile spread across his lips. "Right now, it's my turn." His hands slid up her arms to reach the straps from where they had settled halfway down her arm. He tugged down the straps of her slip, until her slip was pooling at her thighs, revealing her bare breasts and black satin panties. "Oh, my lovely 'Nika." He crooned, his eyes dark as they roved over her exposed flesh.

His finger traced the underside of her breast, making her gasp out and arch her back, rocking her pelvis into his. His tongue came out to moisten his lips as his hands moved down to her hips and he hooked two fingers in her panties, tearing the slinky material apart in a second. He let out a low moan of appreciation – a delicious sound that made the Priestess' cunt clench in anticipation – as he watched her bared to his gaze, straddling him like some mythical goddess propped up above him, every inch of her delicious skin ready for his exploration. He could feel her soaking his pyjama pants, writhing on top of him even though he hadn't so much as laid a finger on her yet.

The Doctor's fingertips ghosted up the side of her ribs, across her collarbone and swept down the valley between her breasts, curling around the underside of her breasts, never really touching them, but watching the goose bumps rise on her flesh. The Priestess almost sobbed, his touch driving her insane, but she bit her lip, holding her tongue.

"Please, beloved," the Priestess whispered, her eyes falling shut, as her breathing quickened.

The Doctor ran his hand through her hair and gripped it, tightly, the spark of pain going straight between her thighs. He pulled her head down to whisper in her ear. "Tell me what you want, 'Nika," he crooned in her ear. He wanted his lovely Bondmate to tell him what she wanted so that he could please her.

Her lips parted as she undulated on top of him, desperate for some sort of friction. "Touch me," she whimpered.

The Doctor smirked. "Where?"

"Anywhere. Everywhere. I am yours."

Unwilling to draw out her suffering and unable to contain his own desire, his fingers trailed across her breasts, watching with fascination as her sensitive nipples pebbled, the Priestess moaning and her hands winding in his air. She leaned down, slightly, and the Doctor sat up, propping his back against the headboard of the bed, his mouth descending on her breasts, his tongue swirling and suckling until all the Priestess was able to do was tug at his hair and sweetly scream out his name. She looked down him, her eyes blazing and dark, the Doctor's heated eyes burning into hers. Making a final sweep of his tongue on her breasts, he released her with a vulgar pop and leaned back against the headboard, his eyes and smile smug. The Priestess rolled her eyes at his pride and tugged his head up in an urgent, passionate kiss. It was possessive and hungry and loving and sweet, as if it were the first and last kiss they would ever share.

The Doctor's hands were splayed across the middle of her bare back, pressing her naked chest, deliciously, against his. He kissed her again and again, her nails raking down her back. His hands gripped onto her hips and twisted them, so that the Priestess found herself under him once again, her hair spread all around her head, resembling a halo, her damp, heated skin cooling against the silk sheets. The Doctor leaned back, his eyes roving over her naked body, making her rub her thighs together for friction.

His hands moved down from her waist, his eyes never leaving hers, until they reached the middle of her thighs. He hooked his hands in the back of her thighs and spread her wide for his wicked gaze.

"You are gorgeous, love," he growled and liquid heat pooled deep within her.

His mouth hovered over her dripping cunt and the Priestess felt as if she would burst into flames if the Doctor didn't touch her right now. He nuzzled her groin and licked up the length of her cunt once, tasting her heady scent on his tongue and closing his eyes in bliss. She tasted like liquid gold and roses and he wanted more.

"Oh!" the Priestess shrieked, her hips bucking up towards him, aching for more contact, her fingers winding in his hair.

The Doctor smirked at her reaction and he pressed down on either sides of her waist, placing an exquisitely tormenting kiss just above her pubic bone, smiling roguishly against her skin, knowing exactly what he was doing to her.

Unable to bear his blissful torture any longer, the Priestess' feet slid up the length of his legs until she reached his hips, her toes dipping into the waistband of his pyjama pants and dragging them off his legs, tossing them away from the bed with a slow smirk on her face.

"Naughty little thing," the Doctor growled and dipped his fingers inside of her, curling and stroking at her damp, hot flesh, until she was screaming and arching off the bed, grabbing fistfuls of the sheets and writhing in ecstasy as she begged for more of his touch.

The Priestess scowled, not exactly liking the inequality of power between them, so she smiled, wickedly, her hand trailing down his abdomen until it reached her goal. The Doctor's lips parted in pleasure as she stroked, determinedly, and teased and circled, until he was barely able to hold himself over body.

"You are wicked," he panted.

"Enough teasing, beloved. Either have me now or let me sleep," she purred in his ear.

"Oh, I'll have you all right." The Doctor smirked and lowered himself in between her thighs, grinding down against her pelvis, making her cry out. "Aren't you glad the TARDIS has soundproofing on the walls?"

"I would be utterly mortified if someone were to hear my screams of pleasure," the Priestess deadpanned. "Now, if you do not-"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Geez, touchy." He smiled. "I wanted this to be different. Our first time after my regeneration. I wanted to know your every secret. What makes this body cry out, what makes this body moan in please, what makes this body _beg_ for more." His fingers trailed the length of her body. "But I don't think I'm gonna have a chance to do that tonight. You're entirely too impatient, love."

He looked down at her. "'Nikki, love?" His fingers touched her cheek, reverently.

"I am yours," she rasped and looked at him, unspeakable love passing between them.

The Doctor sank into her as they both cried out at the damning pleasure. Every muscle of the Doctor's body trembled as he held himself still, allowing the Priestess to adjust to his new size before filling her completely, as he whispered exactly how much he adored her in her ear. Raising her hips to meet his, the Priestess urged him on.

"Wait," the Priestess said, hoarsely, and the Doctor looked down at her, worried that he had hurt her somehow. She gripped at his shoulder, leaving fingernail marks in his skin. "If you would stay like this. Just for a moment. I wish to remember this," she whispered.

The Doctor nodded, pressing a soft and adoring kiss to the side of her neck as he muttered his love for her in Gallifreyan. "I will love you for eternity. My Priestess. My Dream Girl."

"My Doctor," the Priestess breathed, cupping his face in her hands. "My Thief. I love you, so very dearly."

The Priestess raised her hips to encourage him, locking her ankles around the small of her back as he began a perfect rhythm. She was hypersensitive and could feel every single tremble of his body, every spot his fingers trailed over and she was overwhelmed at the feeling of being so thoroughly joined with him. With every thrust, he brought her to that place where her nearing release coiled tighter and tighter in her womb.

His fingers fell to her temple and she cried out, feeling her mind rush with what she knew to be his side of events. She could see everything he was seeing, how it felt for him, how she looked to him, and it made her shake, her release approaching her quickly.

 _Don't you dare hold back, Annika,_ the Doctor growled low in her mind. _Let me hear you. Scream, love._

 _I cannot,_ she sobbed out, her hands fisting in the sheets, her head thrashing from side to side.

 _You will, love,_ the Doctor said, lowly, his dark eyes boring into hers. _I won't stop until I have you screaming my name to heaven and back, until I can feel you milking me from inside and out._

Her eyes widened and she threw her head back, her lips parting, her back arching, every sinewy muscle in her body tensing, as she came, a half-sobbed, moaning rendition of his true name and his Time Lord title slipping from her mouth, echoing to the ceiling.

As her cunt convulsed around his cock, the Doctor had no choice but to follow after, his hands tightening around the curve of her hip, almost to the point of pain. The Doctor's hips snapped into hers a few more times until he was soaring along with her, his hand curling around the curve of her arse, and he spilled inside of her, their eyes only seeing blinding white as they came down from their high, their sore, satisfied bodies aching with what had just happened between them.

With their names on each others' lips, the Doctor wrapped his arms around the Priestess, allowing her to curl into his side, a sleepy, sweet smile on her lips, as she threw her arm across his chest. He dragged the sheets from underneath them, just shifting her slightly to do so, and threw them over their flushed and content bodies.

The Doctor stroked down her damp hair and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Is this what happens every time we run into mortal danger, because I can get used to it?" the Doctor asked, playfully.

The Priestess smacked him on the chest and smiled into his skin, kissing him, softly.

"You are a fool, my love."

"But I'm your fool," the Doctor said, lowly, looking at her, unbearably soft.

She rested her chin on the Doctor's chest to look him in the eye, her fingers stroking down his cheek and twisting in his hair.

"Always and forever," she swore.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Hope you all liked the chapter! Again, I tried to keep some of those Rose/Doctor moments the same so it shows their growing relationship. And I hope you liked the smut at the end of the chapter. I'm sorry if it went a little quick, I really want to write a long, drawn out smut chapter with 10 and the Priestess, maybe in a couple of chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review!

 **Reviews** :

 _Bladewolf101_ : Honestly, it serves the greater plot. Thank you!

 _NicoleR85_ : She won't, but unfortunately, this whole situation is making her confront some of her own insecurities in the process.

 _Kurosaga Kururugi_ : I definitely agree, and I'm trying, but the site isn't exactly responding.

 _CrystalVixen93_ : Thank you!


	8. School Reunion: Easy A

**A/N** : Here's _School Reunion_ and the introduction of Sarah Jane. I wonder if Sarah Jane will know who the Priestess is ;)

 **Warnings** : Fluff, mostly.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 8**

 **School Reunion: Easy A**

A boy, Kenny, headed into a science lab and made his way to a bench. The door opened and a familiar pair of scruffy white Converses stepped inside, followed by a pair of silver heels, a white flowery skirt and sleeveless black shirt. The Doctor plonked his bag down on the teacher's desk and he and the Priestess faced the class.

"Good morning, class. Are we sitting comfortably?" the Doctor asked, cheerfully.

He and the Priestess smiled at the class.

The Doctor scrawled the word 'physics' in capital letters on the whiteboard and underlined it, emphatically.

"So. Physics." The Doctor rocked back on his heels. He replaced the cap of the whiteboard pen and chucked it back down on the desk. "Physics. Eh? Physics. Phyyyyyyyysics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics," he muttered.

The class looked bemused and the Priestess merely looked exasperated. He sniffed purposefully.

"I hope one of you is getting all this down. Um, okay, let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" the Doctor asked, his eyes roving over the entire class.

One of the boys put his hand up.

"Yes, uh, what's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Milo," the boy answered.

"Milo! Off you go," the Doctor said, enthusiastically.

"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge," Milo answered, confidently.

The Doctor smiled, pleased. "Correctamundo! A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again." He ignored the way that the Priestess rolled her eyes. "Question two: I coil up a thin piece of micro wire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this; how do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?" he smirked.

Milo's hand shot up again.

The Doctor noticed this and purposefully turned his head away from Milo. "Someone else," he asked. There was absolutely no response from the rest of the class. "Nope...?" He sighed. "Okay, Milo, go for it."

"Measure the current and PDs in an ammeter and a voltmeter."

The other pupils looked impressed, staring at him with shock.

"Two to Milo! Right then, Milo, tell me this; true or false, the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings." The Doctor smirked, leaning back on his hands, which were splayed on the edge of the desk, fairly sure that the boy wouldn't be able to answer the question.

"False," Milo replied, much to the Doctor's and the Priestess' surprise.

The Priestess stepped forward, her hackles rising as she stared at the young boy.

 _His intelligence far surpasses what it should be. He is unnaturally smart,_ the Priestess told the Doctor.

The Doctor hummed in agreement. _Why don't you ask him a question? You're the teacher out of the two of us, after all,_ he smirked to himself.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _I still do not understand why that is so humorous to you._

The Doctor pursed his lips. _I just find it funny that the woman that the entire Citadel thought would become the next Lady President ended up being a schoolteacher raising three kids._

 _I became quite adept at taking care of children by myself,_ the Priestess said, just the slightest bit spitefully.

The Doctor flinched, but couldn't say anything more, knowing that, at its core, the statement was true. He almost tried to argue her point, but he saw that the Priestess had shut herself off from everything else and returned her attention back to the class, particularly Milo.

"What is non-coding DNA?" the Priestess asked Milo, sharply.

"DNA that doesn't code for a protein," Milo replied.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "Sixty-five-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-three multiplied by five?"

"Three-hundred-and-twenty-nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-fifteen."

The class was divided into mixture of impressed and disturbed expressions on their faces.

The Doctor frowned. "How do you travel faster than light?"

"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of 36.7 recurring."

The Doctor's mouth dropped open, slightly, and the Priestess reeled back in shock.

* * *

It was lunchtime, and the dinner ladies were behind the glass window, spooning food onto people's plates. The Doctor and the Priestess moved along the line with their trays propped up and ready. Rose, who was undercover as a dinner lady, spooned mashed potato onto their plate and gave them both a filthy look simultaneously, the Priestess receiving a more hateful look from Rose as the younger girl wondered why _she_ had to be the dinner lady and the Priestess got to be the Doctor's co-teacher. The Doctor, completely oblivious to the silent war between the Priestess and Rose, just smirked at her and dragged the Priestess towards the tables.

At the table he shared with the Priestess, some time later, the Doctor speared a chip on his fork, nibbled at it, and stared at it distastefully, much to the Priestess' amusement. Rose came over with a dishcloth to wipe their table down.

"Two days," Rose spat, narrowing her eyes, enviously, at the Priestess.

"Sorry, could you just… there's a bit of gravy." The Doctor pointed to it with his fork, ignoring what Rose had just said.

Rose wiped down the table.

"No, no, just there." The Doctor pointed to it, shaking his dead.

Rose wiped up the gravy. "Two days, we've been here," she scowled.

"Well, to be fair, it was your lover who asked us to investigate the school," the Priestess pointed out, shoving the plate away from her, having lost her hunger.

The Doctor nodded. "And he was right. Boy in class this morning… got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth."

 _Although, not as smart as my boys and my girl,_ the Doctor thought, proudly, remembering their children with fondness.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You eating those chips?" she asked, pointing to his plate with uneaten chips.

The Doctor grimaced and looked her at her with scepticism. "Yeah, they're a bit... different," he said, politely.

Rose helped herself to a chip. "I think they're gorgeous." Rose chewed, delightedly. "Wish I had school dinners like this," she said, wistfully, taking a seat opposite to the Doctor and the Priestess.

The Priestess squinted around the canteen. "It is very well behaved, this school. In my experience, children are usually very noisy," she murmured.

 _Especially your children,_ the Priestess thought, wryly, remembering how many incidents she had to smooth over when her children inevitably took after their father and caused trouble.

 _Oh, please, you know you love me,_ the Doctor smirked.

Rose stuffed her mouth full with chips. "Mm," she hummed.

"I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones." The Doctor turned to look at the Priestess, impressively. "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in."

A dinner lady approached their table.

"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," she told Rose.

Rose jumped to her feet. "I was just talking to these teachers."

The Doctor smiled and waved at the dinner lady. "Hello!"

"They don't like the chips," Rose told the dinner lady.

The dinner lady looked at the Doctor and the Priestess, affronted. "The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance. Now, get back to work."

She left and Rose started to walk away from the table.

"See? This is me." Rose gestured down at her uniform. "The dinner lady."

The Doctor smiled, oblivious to Rose's downtrodden expression. "I'll have the crumble."

"I'm so gonna kill you," Rose muttered under her breath.

She returned to her station, the Doctor grinning manically and undisturbed.

"I do not claim to be knowledgeable about human interactions or emotions, but I believe Rose was seeking some sort of sympathy or reassurance from you," the Priestess murmured to the Doctor. "You informed me that when you first met Rose, she was a 'shop girl', perhaps, with her current role undercover, she believes that is all you will think of her as." She suggested.

The Doctor looked at her, considering it for a moment and then shaking her head. "Nah! Rose knows what I think about her. You're worrying for no reason." He tweaked her nose much to her displeasure.

"If you say so," the Priestess sighed.

A teacher, Mr Wagner, approached a girl sitting a few tables away from the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me... so it's time we moved you up to the top class," Mr Wagner said, sharply.

The Doctor watched and the Priestess watched, the former chewing absently.

Mr Wagner looked at another boy sitting on the same table. "Kenny? Not eating the chips?"

Kenny shook his head. "I'm not allowed."

"Luke, extra class. Now."

He left, and several of the children followed him, seemingly in a mindless daze. Mr Finch, the principal, watched the proceedings from a balcony above the canteen, finally seeming to notice that the Doctor and the Priestess were watching him.

* * *

Rose was in the kitchens, drying a tray, as she thought about the way that the Doctor immediately turned to the Priestess about everything. Ever since the Doctor regenerated, it was as if he was all about the Priestess and he just couldn't be bothered with her anymore. After giving it some thought, she realised that it was wrong to think like that. The Doctor _did_ pay attention to her. He just had to split his attention between the Priestess and Rose, so he didn't seem like he favoured one over the other. But she knew that if she could just drag him away from the Priestess, she could make him see her in a different light. She just wanted to be able to prove to him that she was just as good as the Priestess and she could offer him the same things she could.

"Careful... keep it steady... don't spill a drop," Rose heard the dinner lady call out to some of the other employees.

A few of the dinner ladies were very, very carefully wheeling in a barrel of oil, wearing all manners of protective gear, such as masks, goggles and glove. Rose watched them with quiet interest, wondering what they were up to.

"I said keep it steady. Careful... that's it... easy now... steady..."

Suddenly, Rose's mobile rang and she cursed her caller's ill timing.

"Right, second barrel, quickly now!"

Rose pulled out her phone and answered it. "What you got?" she asked Mickey.

"Confirmation. I just got into army records. Three months ago, massive UFO activity. They logged over forty sighting, lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos, 'cause then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out," Mickey said, peering at the screen in an internet café.

The message 'Torchwood: Access Denied' flashed in red letters on the screen, much to his confusion.

"Tell you what, though, three months ago, turns out all the kitchen staff were replaced," Rose murmured, making sure to keep her voice low.

She watched the dinner ladies wheel another barrel of oil into the kitchen with what looked like unnecessary caution.

"And this lot are weird," she said, finally, grimacing.

"See, there's definitely something going on. I was right to call you home," Mickey said, proudly.

"I thought maybe you called me home just to... well, just to call me home," Rose said, flatly.

Mickey had to grin at Rose's familiar self-absorption. He loved her, he truly did, but he wasn't blind to the fact that Rose was all about Rose a lot of the time. "Do you think I'd just invent an emergency?" he asked, teasingly.

"Well, you could've done!" Rose protested, feeling silly all of a sudden.

"That's the last thing I'd do," Mickey said, slowly, knowing deep in his heart that Rose didn't want to be on Earth and he didn't want to trap her with him.

"Watch it!" the dinner lady called out, harshly.

"Because every time I see you, an emergency just gets in the way-"

The barrel of oil toppled over and spilt onto one of the dinner ladies, who screamed in agony and started to smoke, her skin turning red and blistering.

"I've gotta go," Rose said, hurriedly.

"Get her up, get her up!" the head dinner lady shouted.

The dinner lady was hoisted to her feet.

"What is it?" Mickey asked, confused, hearing commotion over the phone.

The dinner lady who was covered in the oil was steered into an office, still wailing with pain. Rose attempted to see through the partition but the blinds were swiftly drawn.

Rose hung up and Mickey closed his phone with a sigh as the line went dead. Rose dialled 999 as the head dinner lady emerged from the office. She pulled her goggles down and leaned against the doorframe, eyeing Rose suspiciously, as if she knew Rose was doing something wrong.

"What're you doing?" the dinner lady asked, sharply.

"Calling an ambulance," Rose informed her, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No need. She's quite all right," the head dinner lady said, shaking her head.

Rose hung up and there was the sound of something bursting into flames, followed by the sound of something smashing, and a billow of smoke from the office. However, the dinner lady does not flinch, expecting it.

She shrugged. "It's fine. She does that."

She went back into the office, leaving Rose looking completely confused. She moved closer to the barrel of oil for a closer look.

* * *

The Doctor was sitting on a desk, nibbling a biscuit, while the Priestess was listening, intently, to the teacher who was pacing up and down in front of her and the Doctor.

"But yesterday, I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy... in cubits," the teacher said, shaking his head, stunned.

"And, it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

The teacher nodded. "Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot." He nodded over to where a group of smart looking teachers are standing. The Doctor and the Priestess looked over his shoulder at them. "Except for the teacher you two replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that."

The Doctor hid his smirk. "How's that weird?" he asked, innocently.

"She never played! Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight," the teacher whispered, conspiratorially.

"Hmm! The world is very strange," the Doctor said, popping another biscuit into his mouth.

The Priestess resisted the urge to shake her head, knowing that it would only draw attention to them. _Your ability to act subtle has much to be desired, beloved,_ she said, dryly.

 _You're just jealous of my acting skills,_ the Doctor sniffed, mock-offended.

 _You have acting skills?_ she asked, innocently, smirking to herself when the Doctor gave her the equivalent of a mental glare.

"Excuse me, colleagues, a moment of your time," Mr Finch called out, drawing everyone's attention

The Doctor and the Priestess turned around to the sound of his voice. They stilled, their eyes widening, simultaneously, just standing there and staring at the woman that was accompanied by Mr Finch.

"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times," Mr Finch said with a seedy smile.

Sarah Jane smiled around at them all, looking every inch of the welcomed guest. The Doctor's face resembled a picture, the corners of his mouth begin to turn upwards in a smile, while the Priestess had no idea how to react. She remembered the blonde woman in front of her, fondly, being one of the companions that the Doctor had actually brought to Gallifrey along with him and introduced her as his Bondmate, explaining the entire process to a curious and driven Sarah Jane.

Meeting Sarah Jane and understanding her curiosity had given her hope that she wasn't just the Doctor's 'dirty little secret' and helped her understanding exactly what her Bondmate saw in taking humans as his companions. Sarah Jane was smart and determined, compassionate to a fault and genuinely kind. The Priestess hadn't known her very well, but she had flawless instincts when it came to a person and she had warmed up to Sarah Jane, immediately.

"I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches', so to speak. Don't spare my blushes," Mr Finch said, before leaving.

Sarah Jane caught both the Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes and approached them.

"Hello!" Sarah Jane called out, cheerfully.

"Oh, I should think so!" the Doctor managed to say, beaming.

"And, you are...?" Sarah Jane looked at them, expectantly.

The Doctor wasn't even able to take his eyes off his old friend, who looked so different yet acted exactly the same. "Hm? Uh, Smith. John Smith. This is… my wife, Tess," he said, shooting a stunned Priestess with a sweet smile.

"John Smith?" Sarah Jane smiled to herself, sadly. "I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name."

"It does seem to be a common name," the Priestess said, lightly.

"He was a very uncommon man," Sarah Jane murmured, almost to herself. She held out her hand to each of them. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you! Yes! Very nice! More than nice, brilliant!" the Doctor blurted out, practically stammering.

"Um... so, um, have you both worked here long?" Sarah Jane asked them, leaning in for all of the gossip.

"No! Um, it's only our second day," the Doctor told her.

"Oh, you're new, then? So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum?" Sarah Jane looked at them both.

The Doctor still wasn't able to tear his eyes away from her, and with the way he was smiling at her, the Priestess was sure that Sarah Jane would notice, but she didn't seem to.

"So many children getting ill, doesn't that strike you as odd?" Sarah Jane whispered, conspiratorially.

The Doctor grinned, knowingly. _Same old Sarah Jane,_ he thought fondly.

"You do not appear identical to someone simply doing a newspaper profile." The Priestess raised an eyebrow.

Sarah Jane smiled at her. "Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here." She shrugged.

"No. Good for you," the Doctor muttered, wistfully, a bright smile on his face as he watched her walk away to meet some of the other teachers. "Good for you. Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith." He said, proudly.

The bell rang.

* * *

The corridors were crowded with students once more as they all rushed towards their next class. The Doctor took slow steps with a vague smile and a faraway expression on his face, just remembering.

 _Well, you seem content,_ the Priestess remarked, gazing at him in a sidelong glance.

 _She seems happy, don't you think? I mean, it isn't just me, right?_ the Doctor looked at her, nervously.

 _She seems happy with her life, Theta,_ the Priestess said, reassuringly, laying a hand on his arm.

 _Did you know we'd see her here?_ the Doctor asked, carefully, wondering if she had seen Sarah Jane in one of her visions.

 _Well, yes. Unfortunately, I did not know when we would be seeing her,_ the Priestess confessed. She faltered, slightly. _Are you angry at me for keeping that from you?_ she asked, worriedly.

The Doctor pursed her lips and pulled her into an alcove, so that they would be hidden from the watching eyes of the students walking.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the Doctor asked, carefully, brushing a few of her curls away from her face.

"Well, for one, I was not certain when we would encounter Sarah Jane, and I did not want you to become hopeful for something that may be a very long time in the future," the Priestess murmured. "And two, it was such a minor part of my vision, I sincerely did not remember seeing Sarah Jane until I saw her now." She smiled. "It was worth it to see that look of surprise and happiness on your face."

"You make me happy," the Doctor murmured, leaning down and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. "My Dream Girl," he whispered, leaning down and kissing her on the mouth, sweetly.

The Priestess laughed. "My Scoundrel," she teased, referring to what she used to call him every time she got into trouble in the Academy.

* * *

The corridors were dark and empty, the chairs up on the desks. A torch shone into a classroom, and Sarah Jane stood at the window. She undid the latch and peered inside. When she was sure the coast was clear, she hoisted herself inside.

* * *

The Doctor opened a fire door and came through it into a dark corridor, followed by the Priestess, Rose and Mickey.

"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong." Rose grimaced, shaking her head.

They made their way cautiously down the corridor, looking for something to be suspicious about.

"When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school," Rose said, staring.

"All right, team. Oh, I hate people who say 'team'. Um... 'gang'. Um... 'comrades'. Uh... anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department. We're gonna look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes," the Doctor ordered.

"Wait, why does _she_ get to go with you?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes at the Priestess, who raised an eyebrow at Rose's tone.

"Why wouldn't she come with me?" The Doctor frowned, wondering if the problem between the Priestess and Rose that had occurred while he was recovering from his regeneration hadn't been resolved. "She has better eyes than me and she has flawless instincts," he said, slowly.

Deciding to talk to Rose later, he grabbed the Priestess' hand and they took off up the stairs.

Rose fiddled with her sleeves, absentmindedly. She turned to Mickey. "You gonna be all right?" she asked, worriedly.

"Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this." Mickey puffed his chest out.

He strode away with purpose and Rose just stood there smirking to herself, waiting for him to come back, which he did almost immediately.

"Where's the Maths department?" Mickey asked, sheepishly.

Rose pointed in the opposite direction that Mickey had walked in. "Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right."

Mickey nodded, averting his eyes. "Thank you."

He strode away again.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess headed down a dark corridor, brow furrowed as they heard strange and suspicious screeches and flaps in the distance. They paused for a moment, looked at each other, knowingly, and then walked away to find the source of the noise.

* * *

Sarah Jane began to pick the lock to Mr Finch's office. She heard a bang, followed by a screech, and spun around on her feet, eyes wide and her heart thumping, wondering if she had been caught. The sounds became even louder and closer and she gave a sharp intake of breath, feeling her bones start to chill, and backed away down the corridor.

* * *

Rose took the lid off the barrel of oil and spooned some into a small jar. A shadow passed over her, followed by a screech and she looks up sharply, immediately fearing that she had been found out.

* * *

Sarah Jane backed herself into the maintenance closet and slammed the door behind her, breathing heavily. She turned slowly and her heart just about stopped. There, looming in front of her, was the TARDIS. Her eyes widened in shock and she backed out of the room, not being able to believe what was actually in front of her.

Sarah Jane stared at the closed door of the maintenance closet, and then turned slowly around, jumping a little when she saw who was in front of her. The Doctor and the Priestess was standing there in the darkness, watching her.

"Hello, Sarah Jane," the Doctor said, quietly.

"It's you. Oh... Doctor..." Sarah Jane whispered, shaking her head, not exactly knowing what to say. A smile started to spread across her face as she edged towards him and the woman beside him. "Oh, my God, it's you, it's... it's... you've regenerated."

The Doctor smiled, wryly, at that. "Half a dozen times since we last met."

"You look... incredible," Sarah Jane said, truthfully.

"So do you," the Doctor said, smiling, sadly, at her.

Sarah Jane shrugged. "I got old," she said, mournfully. She turned to the Priestess. "Um, your friend…" she trailed off, wondering if the woman in front of her was the Doctor's newest companion and felt a stab of jealousy and resentment strike her in the gut.

The Doctor's eyes widened, finally remembering that the Priestess was standing right next to him, an action that made the Priestess roll her eyes.

"Oh, right, well, you've actually met her, but you probably don't remember her. She had a different face on back then." The Doctor grinned down at the Priestess, who smiled, sweetly, back. "Sarah Jane, this is the Priestess."

Sarah Jane's eyes widened. She remembered meeting the Doctor's wife back on Gallifrey when she had met all five Doctors, as there had been at that time. She looked very different to the woman in front of her now, even more so than the Doctor's dramatic change. The woman that Sarah Jane had met back then – the Doctor's Bondmate – had been a pretty, young, red-haired woman, with a kind smile, porcelain skin and blue eyes.

There had been only one of her in proportion to the five Doctors, but she had managed to make each of them feel like they were the only man in the world. Of course, seeing as she was married to the Doctor, Sarah Jane expected she knew how to handle the Doctor. The woman had held no bitterness in her eyes when she regarded the young women that the five Doctors travelled with, treating each of them with a special sort of kindness. She remembered asking the Priestess why that was, and hearing her reply, the answer making her feel warm inside and affectionate towards the woman.

" _My Bondmate cares for you deeply, Sarah. That translates to me caring for you as well."_

The woman in front of her looked completely and utterly different to before. She had dark skin, almost like chocolate, long, curly brown, almost black, hair and dark brown eyes. She had some sort of ethereal beauty, like something out of a fantasy novel or Lord of the Rings, much unlike her previous self, which looked like a doll come to life with her perfect features.

"The Priestess… as in your… Bondmate, was that what you called it?" Sarah Jane stammered.

The Priestess smiled, warmly, at her. "Hello, Sarah. It is very nice to see you again." She took her hands in hers, squeezing them, gently.

Sarah Jane's answering smile was slightly tremulous. "No more five Doctors," she teased, weakly.

"Alas," the Priestess sighed, almost mournfully. "I am at an age where I am only able to handle one Doctor at a time, much less five." She winked at Sarah Jane, who grinned.

"Oi, watch it!" the Doctor exclaimed, nudging her in the side, softly, a gentle smile on his face as he regarded his Bondmate, an action which did not escape Sarah Jane's notice, making her smile at the absolutely lovesick look on the Doctor's face.

She edged around them, staring at them. "What're you doing here?" she asked, curiously.

"Well... UFO sightings, school gets record results, I couldn't resist. What about you?" the Doctor asked, cheekily.

"Same," Sarah Jane confessed, sheepishly.

"You taught her well, Doctor," the Priestess said, proudly.

They all laughed. But Sarah Jane's smile faltered and she sounded as if tears were about to fall when she spoke again.

"I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died." Sarah Jane trembled.

"We lived. Everyone else died," the Doctor said, mournfully, a far-off look entering his eyes.

The Priestess tightened her grip on his hand, her own grief threatening her to overwhelm her, her mind drowning in shades of black and grey, until the Doctor slid into her mind as if it were the easiest thing to do. His mind was warm and comforting and she felt herself being soothed and pulled back from the edge, until her mind exploded into a mixture of warm reds and oranges.

"What do you mean?" Sarah Jane asked, uneasily, staring at the Priestess' extraordinarily blank face.

"Everyone died, Sarah," the Doctor murmured, quietly.

Sarah Jane paled, remembering that the Priestess had once told her that she and the Doctor had children. _They couldn't be dead, could they? That's… losing my children… I don't know what I'd do if I was in her position,_ Sarah Jane thought, mournfully, looking at the Priestess with sympathy.

"I'm so sorry," she offered, softly, watching as the colour returned to the Priestess' face. She shook her head. "I can't believe it's you." She whispered in disbelief.

The moment was, unfortunately, broken by the sound of Mickey wailing.

A smile grew on Sarah Jane's face until she was nearly beaming. "Okay! Now I can!" she smirked.

All three grinned and they ran from the gym to find the source of the scream. They almost skidded into Rose who was running from a converging corridor.

"Did you hear that?" Rose asked, breathlessly. She noticed Sarah Jane and she narrowed her eyes. "Who's she?" she asked, defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

 _Don't tell me… more competition,_ Rose thought, dryly.

"Rose, Sarah Jane! Sarah Jane, Rose," the Doctor said, excitedly, thinking nothing of Rose's tone.

Rose looked unpleasantly surprised and the two humans shook hands.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Sarah Jane said, a very fake smile pasted across his face. She turned to the Doctor. "You can tell you're getting older, your assistants are getting younger," she muttered.

"I am _not_ old," the Priestess huffed and then she laughed, much to the Doctor's and Rose's chagrin. The Doctor glared at her and she stared at him, innocently. "What? It is slightly true, Doctor. Rose's age compared to the ages of those you have travelled alongside is fairly young." She shrugged.

Rose glared at the Priestess and Sarah Jane, simultaneously. "I'm not his assistant," she said, outraged.

The Doctor scratched his ear, uncomfortably, and the Priestess had the urge to revel in the Doctor's discomfort, hiding it behind a sweet smile.

"No? I get you, tiger." Sarah Jane smirked.

The Priestess sped off and the Doctor, Rose and Sarah Jane followed him. They found Mickey in one of the classrooms, surrounded by a load of vacuum-packed rats.

"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I-I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them," Mickey stammered.

The Doctor and the Priestess bent down and picked a few up to examine them.

"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats," Rose said in disbelief.

"And you decided to scream." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey protested.

"Like a little girl?" the Doctor smirked.

"It was dark! I was covered in rats!" Mickey said, indignantly.

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt," the Doctor joked.

The Priestess rolled her eyes and placed a halting hand on the Doctor's arm, much to Rose's fury if the red splotches on her pale cheeks were any indication. "Enough, Doctor. Stop teasing him. There are more imperative matters to consider," she said, warningly. "And you of all people cannot talk, I turned the floors of your laboratory completely frictionless and your screams could be heard from all the other way across the Academy." She smirked.

The Doctor flushed, much to Rose's, Mickey's and Sarah Jane's surprise. "Well, I wasn't expecting it!" he protested.

The Priestess snickered. "You were falling down for _days_ ," she said, amused.

"Why did you make his lab frictionless?" Mickey asked, confused.

"Because I was angry at him," the Priestess said, loftily. "And he started it."

"I did _not_!" The Doctor said, outraged. " _You_ hacked the sprinkler system to pour ink all over my laboratory. My notes were _ruined_."

"You increased the vibrational frequency of my laboratory floor!" the Priestess exclaimed. "I was shaking for weeks! Honestly, I couldn't even write my _name_ properly."

The Doctor sniffed. "You deserved it. You're the one who broke into my lab and placed an electromagnetic radiation assimilator in the wall to absorb the _entire_ electromagnetic spectrum in the room so that I went _blind_ every time I walked into the room. I kept walking into things," he muttered under his breath. "I may have even had a concussion."

"Oh, stop pouting." The Priestess rolled her eyes. "I fixed it, did I not?" she challenged.

"Well, yes," the Doctor said, grudgingly. "But only because the Headmaster _made_ you," he said, accusingly. "And because no one else could – you _created_ the device."

Rose rolled her eyes at the Priestess' placating tone and her nostalgic stories. _She always has to sound so bloody perfect and she always has to put it one of those stories that no one but her and the Doctor understand,_ she thought, spitefully.

"Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?"

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" Sarah Jane asked, innocently, her eyes glinting wickedly.

The Doctor and Mickey looked shiftily between them, while the Priestess' hands fell to her hip, knowing exactly what was about to erupt between the two humans. She may have been a Time Lady and not exactly concerned or knowledgeable about human emotions, but she knew the feelings of jealousy and resentment and envy were common to everyone, and seeing Rose here, with the Doctor, must have been hard for Sarah Jane to understand. It was only natural that she would want to lash out against the woman she thought had replaced her.

It was never easy to see yourself being replaced by a younger version. She, herself, had experienced the same feeling a few times over the centuries, especially with Rose who was able to form a bond with the Doctor that she was scared would be able to interfere with her own. She was worried that if she continued to be distant from the Doctor, he would find his comfort with someone else, namely Rose. And she knew from her eavesdropping at Jackie's apartment that Rose thought herself in love with the Doctor. She was scared that, as time goes by, the Doctor may start to feel something for Rose as well. And that terrified her. She didn't know what she'd do in that situation. She was notoriously possessive when it came to the Doctor, but historically, she was selfless when it came to the Doctor. She would let him go, as much as it would break her hearts and she would lose her reason for existence, she would have to let him go.

"Excuse me," Rose spat. "No one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?" she snarled.

"That is _enough_ ," the Priestess said, coldly, stalling both women. "Would you both terribly mind putting an end to your little confrontation and stop acting like children for the time being? I understand that you both feel as though the Doctor has committed some horrific crime, but I beg of you to wait until _after_ we have resolved what exactly is going on here." She snapped.

Sarah Jane and Rose were both unwillingly silenced by the Priestess' final tone, the former obviously badly wanting to make a cutting retort. Instead, she and Rose gave each other the dirtiest of looks. The Doctor was abruptly reminded of what he had designated as 'Maternal Annika', the woman who had the ability to silence three rowdy children with one chilling look. He smiled to himself, fondly, and felt himself falling in love with the Priestess all over again.

"Everything started when Mr Finch arrived. We should go and check his office," the Doctor said.

He chucked the rat he was holding back to Mickey, who dropped it out of a reflex. They followed the Doctor and the Priestess out and down the corridor.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose asked, innocently, her eyes dark with distaste.

"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor," Sarah Jane said, proudly. She remembered that the Priestess was walking in front of them. "And I met the Priestess on a few of my travels with the Doctor."

"Oh! Well, he's never mentioned you." Rose smirked.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow at the Doctor. _You never spoke of Sarah Jane to Rose? You used to tell me about every single adventure with every single one of your companions, my love. Why not tell Rose?_

The Doctor sighed. _You're different, 'Nika. You're my Bondmate, the love of my life, I can't hide anything from you even I wanted to. But Rose… I cared about Sarah Jane a lot, and when I left her behind, it hurt… I couldn't tell anyone that even if I wanted to. I didn't… want to dredge up all of those memories, because it still hurt that I left Sarah Jane._

 _By not speaking of Sarah Jane, perhaps Rose feels as thought she is not as worthy to be your companion they way Sarah Jane was. It is a hard feeling to accept, that you are just one more name in a very long list._

The Doctor shook his head, stubbornly. _Rose knows she means more than that. It'll be fine, 'Tess. I think you're just reading too much into it._

The Priestess narrowed her eyes, slightly hurt that he had just dismissed her concerns so offhandedly.

"Oh, I must've done! Sarah Jane! Mention her all the time," the Doctor tried to cover up.

Rose pretended to think about it. "Hold on... sorry... never." She hid a smirk of triumph.

"What, not even once? He didn't mention me once?" Sarah Jane asked, annoyed.

"He told me all about you, Sarah," the Priestess said, reassuringly.

Rose narrowed her eyes. "When did _this_ happen?" she asked, jealously.

"Oh, a very long time ago, Rose. Back when he was still travelling with her," the Priestess waved off.

Rose scowled. There was yet another thing the Doctor had chosen to confide with the Priestess instead of her. How could she possibly try and compete with her if the Doctor obviously showed her so much preference over her? She glared at the back of the Priestess' head.

Rose walked off and Sarah Jane followed her, probably to probe her further.

Mickey placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Ho, ho! Mate! The missus and the exes. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare," he smirked, referring to the Priestess as the 'missus'.

Mickey wasn't as much of an idiot as the Doctor claimed he was. He had eyes and he could easily see that the Doctor's followed the Priestess as if she were the only thing good and pure in the universe. And the way the Priestess looked at the Doctor with those sweet smiles, he was guessing that it wasn't one-sided. It was clear to him and to anyone that the Doctor and the Priestess were madly in love with each other. He only hoped that Rose wouldn't be too hard when she figured it out, but knowing how crazy she was about the Doctor, he was sure her heart would be broken. He could tell her if he wanted to and he wanted to, but he wasn't entirely sure that Rose would believe him even if he did. Just this morning, Rose had thought that the only reason that he had called her was because he wanted her to come back to Earth. She would just think that he was causing trouble so that she would leave the Doctor.

Mickey simply grinned and they followed the three women.

It was good to be a spectator sometimes.

* * *

The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door of Mr Finch's office.

"Maybe those rats were food," the Doctor wondered out loud.

"Yes, but food for what exactly?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor opened the door and they peered inside, seeking the source of some incredibly strange noises coming from there. The Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

"Rose... you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school...? Well... they do," the Doctor murmured, not wanting to take an extra breath.

Bat-like creatures were hanging upside down from the ceiling and the five of them stared at them.

Mickey turned on his heel, utterly petrified. "No way!" he shouted.

Sarah Jane and Rose quickly followed him. The Doctor and the Priestess went last, shutting the door behind them. At the sound of the door shutting, one of the bats woke up and screeched.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Well, there was the end of the first part of _School Reunion_. Sarah Jane does know the Priestess, but not all that well. I haven't actually watched _The Five Doctors_ , so tell me if I got anything wrong. From the TARDIS wiki, I guessed that since Sarah Jane met 5 Doctors, she might also been the 1st Priestess. Plus, I really want the Priestess to have a friend in Sarah Jane. Did anyone else find it weird that Sarah Jane completely disregarded the fact that the Time Lords were gone in _School Reunion_? That's why I changed it.

And we see a more jealous Rose in the story, and I hope it makes sense why Mickey didn't tell Rose his suspicions about the Doctor's relationship with the Priestess. Rose seemed very self-absorbed in this season, like how she thought Mickey had just called her to bring her back home. So, I had Mickey use that as a reason for not telling Rose about what he thought about the Doctor and the Priestess. Rose was more outwardly jealous about the Priestess in this chapter, constantly glaring or making sniping comments. We may have a bit of an altercation between the Doctor and Rose about that, we'll have to see how it goes.

And I have both the Priestess and the Doctor becoming a bit distant from each other, the Doctor more subtly than the Priestess. He seems to be disregarding a lot of what she says, nowadays.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!

 **Reviews** :

 _Bladewolf101_ : The Doctor was going to be doing the confrontation in _Journey's End_ actually.

 _mybrainexploded_ : I fully agree! Like I said, there was going to be a confrontation, but it won't be happening in this fic unfortunately.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much!

 _the stargate time traveller_ : Unfortunately, the Doctor still has some insensitive moments ahead of him.

 _Kurosaga Kururugi_ : Thank you!

 _CrystalVixen93_ : Thank you!


	9. School Reunion: Ridgemont High

_**A/N**_ : Here's the final chapter of _School Reunion_ and it has those infamous scenes between the Doctor and Rose. But there will be a twist on these ones, I promise. More jealous Rose in this chapter.

 _ **Warnings**_ : Nothing to worry about in this chapter.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 9**

 **School Reunion: Ridgemont High**

 _Bat-like creatures were hanging upside down from the ceiling and the five of them stared at them._

 _Mickey turned on his heel, utterly petrified. "No way!" he shouted._

 _Sarah Jane and Rose quickly followed him. The Doctor and the Priestess went last, shutting the door behind them. At the sound of the door shutting, one of the bats woke up and screeched._

Mickey, Rose, Sarah Jane, the Priestess and the Doctor hurried out of the front doors of the school.

"I am not going back in there. No way," Mickey panted, out of breath from the distance they had run.

"Those were teachers!" Rose said, incredulously.

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on."

He and the Priestess walked back inside.

"Come on, you've got to be kidding!" Mickey threw his hands up in the air.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a serious look. The Priestess turned to the three humans.

"We require the TARDIS. We must analyse the oil from the kitchen," the Priestess told them.

"I might be able to help you, there. I've got something to show you!" Sarah Jane smirked, triumphantly.

She grabbed the arms of the Doctor and the Priestess and pulled them both, excitedly, in the direction of the car park.

* * *

Sarah Jane opened the boot of her car. Inside was something covered with a green blanket. The Doctor pulled the blanket off to a small, metal dog.

"K9!" the Doctor and the Priestess cried out, delightedly.

The Doctor grinned. "Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow us to introduce K9. Well, K9 Mark III to be precise," he amended.

Mickey and Rose glanced at each other with scepticism, wanting to point out to the two Time Lords that it was just a tin dog.

"Why does he look so... disco?" Rose asked, carefully.

"Oi!" The Doctor exclaimed, offended. "Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge! What's happened to him?"

"Oh, one day, he just... nothing!" Sarah Jane threw her hands up in air.

"Did you attempt to repair him?" the Priestess asked, curiously, the Doctor nodding emphatically in agreement.

Mickey shook his head and Rose simply stared at the Doctor and the Priestess at the same time, both of them not understanding why the dog was so important.

"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you? Eh?" the Doctor cooed at K9.

Mickey stared at him and Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor stroked K9, making cooing noises. Sarah Jane threw Rose what could be described as a triumphant glance, a gesture, which the Priestess noticed. The Priestess raised an eyebrow, as if asking Sarah Jane _really?_. Sarah Jane gave her a look that she had seen on her children so many times, which she took to mean as _she started it!_. The Priestess simply shook her head, a smile on her face.

"Look, no offense, but could you three just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog, we're busy!" Rose snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the way that the Priestess, the Doctor _and_ Sarah Jane seemed to be so cosy.

She was finding it hard to draw the lines in the imaginary competition she was pulling with the Priestess. She had thought that Sarah Jane was also competition when she had first met her, her appearance coupled with her condescending attitude towards her cluing her into a possible previous relationship with the Doctor that may have tended towards romantic intentions, or at least serious friendship.

But then, she had seen the way Sarah Jane and the Priestess interacted with each other. With Rose, the Priestess was careful and cynical, never letting herself get too close, and Rose had thought that was because the Priestess was somewhat jealous of Rose, sensing the possible competition for the Doctor's attentions in her. But the Priestess and Sarah Jane were warm and friendly and encouraging with each other and that struck Rose in the wrong way, wondering what why Sarah Jane was able to warm up to her and not Rose. And why the Priestess was able to treat Sarah Jane so kindly without worrying that she was going to steal the Doctor away from her.

Why was she the only one on the defensive when it was clear all three had some sort of feelings for the Doctor?

The Doctor closed the boot, grinning.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Sarah Jane, Rose and Mickey stood in a chip shop. The Doctor, the Priestess and Sarah Jane were sitting on their own, off at a table by the window, chatting and laughing whilst the Doctor and the Priestess tried to fix K9, who had been placed on the table-top, much to the surprise of the vendors. Mickey and Rose stood by the counter, waiting for their orders.

"You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said 'I told you so'." Mickey smirked.

Rose wrenched her eyes away from the threesome. "I'm not listening to this."

"Although, I have prepared a little 'I was right' dance that I can show you later," Mickey joked and snickered to himself.

The shopkeeper held her gloved hand out to Rose. "Two quid, love."

Rose handed her the change, took the box of chips and tucked her phone in the potatoes immediately.

"All this time you've been giving it, 'he's different!', when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke!" Mickey smirked.

They sat down at a table away from the Doctor, the Priestess and Sarah Jane.

Rose shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about." She scowled.

"Maybe not." Mickey shrugged and leaned in. "But if I were you... I'd go easy on the chips," he whispered, conspiratorially.

For Rose was shovelling them into her mouth like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

"I thought of you on Christmas Day." The Doctor and the Priestess looked at Sarah Jane. "This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead, I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there'."

The Doctor smiled to himself and the Priestess. "Right on top of it, yeah."

Sarah Jane turned to the Priestess, cocking her head with interest. "And you?" she asked, interestedly.

The Priestess nodded. "I was found by him a few months beforehand," she explained.

"And Rose?" Sarah Jane asked, cautiously, not really wanting to know the answer.

The Doctor sneaked a look at Sarah Jane, observing the grimace on her face. "She was there too."

There was a pause whilst Sarah Jane looked at him, a question on the tip of her burning tongue, and the Doctor fiddled with K9's wires.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sarah Jane asked, suddenly. Because you never came back for me. You just... dumped me," she said, mournfully.

"I told you. I was called back home and in those days, humans weren't allowed."

"I waited for you. I missed you," Sarah Jane whispered.

"Oh, you didn't need me! You were getting on with your life," the Doctor waved off.

The Priestess rolled her eyes at the Doctor's infinite and constant ability to be oblivious, no matter which regeneration he found himself in.

"You were my life," Sarah Jane pointed out. The Doctor swallowed hard and looked up at her. "You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, and with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?" She raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion. "All those things you saw… do you want me to apologize for that?" he asked, carefully.

"No," Sarah Jane shook her head. "But we get a taste of that splendour... and then we have to go back."

The Doctor smiled, reassuringly. "But look at you, you're investigating. You found that school, you're doing what we always did."

"You could've come back," Sarah Jane said, pointedly.

"I couldn't," the Doctor said, quietly.

"Why not?" Sarah Jane whispered.

 _Do you… do you think what she's saying is true?_ the Doctor asked, fearfully.

The Priestess wondered what was the best way for her to answer his concern. She knew exactly what kind of person the Doctor could be. He had shown that with his treatment of her.

 _Beloved, even you have to admit you have a tendency to be thoughtless of peoples' feelings._

 _But-,_ the Doctor began to protest.

 _You, in your infinite wisdom, always believe that you are acting in their best interests. However, my love, you cannot know everything and you cannot treat people as if they were children,_ the Priestess said, finally, having no qualms about confessing to the Doctor her true feelings about his treatment of his companions.

The Doctor refused to answer. Sarah Jane shook her head and the Doctor switched his sonic screwdriver back on and returned to helping the Priestess repair K9. But Sarah Jane refused to back down.

"It wasn't Croydon, where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, suddenly.

The Doctor frowned. "Where was it?"

"Aberdeen," Sarah Jane said, irritably.

The Priestess smirked and shook her head. "Oh, my love, your driving has truly not improved at all, has it?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Right." The Doctor's eyes dawned with realisation as a flush rose up from his neck and into his cheeks. "Right." He paused. "That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" he asked, weakly.

Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head in the negative. At that moment, K9 sprung to life.

"Oh, hey! Now we're in business!" the Doctor crowed and leapt to his feet, standing in front of K9.

"Master! Mistress!" K9 squeaked out.

The Doctor looked absolutely ecstatic and he grinned at the Priestess. "He recognizes us!" he said, excitedly.

"Affirmative."

"Rose, give us the oil." The Doctor beckoned the young, blonde girl over.

* * *

The Doctor took the lid off the jar with the oil inside and was just about to dip his finger in it, when Rose interrupted him.

"I wouldn't touch it, though, that dinner lady got all scalded," Rose said, quickly.

The Doctor snorted at that. "I'm no dinner lady." He paused, much to the Priestess' amusement. "And I don't often say that." He dipped his finger into the oil and K9 slid out a sensor for the Doctor to smear it onto, which he did with gusto. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go," he muttered.

"Oil. Ex-ex-ex-extract ana-an-analysing..."

Mickey grinned, absolutely delighted by the extra-terrestrial feel of this adventure "Listen to it, man! That's a voice!" he crowed.

Sarah Jane glared at him for his use of 'it'. "Careful! That's my dog!" she said, warningly, looking pleased when Mickey looked sheepish.

"Confirmation of analysis: substance is Krillitane Oil."

The Doctor and the Priestess paled, and the Priestess dug her nails into the soft flesh of her palm, indenting the skin.

"They're Krillitanes," both of them said, hoarsely.

Rose looked at them, strangely. "Is that bad?" she asked, carefully.

The Doctor nodded. "Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."

"And what are... Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane asked.

"They are a composite race," the Priestess answered, simply. "Much like how your culture is a mixture of traditions from a number of different countries – features from people you have invaded or have been invaded by. Viking features, French features, and etcetera – the Krillitanes are very similar. They are an amalgam of the races they have conquered. But they acquire physical aspects as well. They choose the best features from the people they destroy." The Priestess and the Doctor glanced at each other with foreboding. "That is why we did not recognise them at first glance. The last time we encountered Krillitanes, they looked humanlike except their necks were much longer than yours."

Rose frowned. "What're they doing here?" she asked.

The Doctor and the Priestess paled at exactly the same time, the two of them coming to the same conclusion.

"It is the children. They are doing something to the children," they both said, grimly.

* * *

Mickey and Sarah Jane hoisted K9 into the boot of Sarah Jane's car.

"So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane shrugged. "The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes... they're tin dogs." She gestured to K9.

Mickey smiled and let out a small laughed. Then, he sobered. "And the Priestess?" he asked, curiously.

Sarah Jane smiled. "Oh, she's different. She's not part of the entourage at all. She's more than that." She paused. "What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?"

"Me? I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support, I'm..." Mickey began, enthusiastically, but then realisation hit him. "Oh, my God. I'm the tin dog," he murmured, almost to himself, sitting down in shock.

Sarah Jane grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

* * *

The Doctor walked away from the chip shop followed by Rose, while the Priestess was inside, waiting for the Doctor to tell her that they were about to leave.

"How many of us have there been, travelling with you?" Rose asked, suddenly, storming up to the Doctor.

The Doctor sighed, frustrated, wondering if he had been to quick to dismiss the Priestess' concerns earlier. It looked as though Rose did seem to have a problem with Sarah Jane's role in his past.

"Does it matter?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

It were times like this when he regretted his choice to take companions on his travels.

Rose's voice trembled with emotion as she answered. "Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line," she protested.

The Doctor stopped in his tracks, hurt by the accusation, and scowled. "As opposed to what?" He challenged, staring down at her, his face etched in an expression of anger and hurt.

Rose swallowed hard and bit into her lower lip. "I thought you and me were... but I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but this... now this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do to me?" she asked, her lower lip trembling.

"No. Not to you," the Doctor said, awkwardly, wondering if that would be the case in the near future.

He had no intention of leaving Rose, but even he didn't control the future. He had no clue what was in store for his young, blonde companion. And whether she would leave him, that was a completely different question.

"But Sarah Jane..." Rose protested. "You were that close to her once, and now... you never even mention her. Why not?"

The Doctor swallowed hard, the painful memories in his past threatening to rise up. "I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you-"

He paused, realising exactly what he was about to say and to whom he was going to say it to.

"What, Doctor?" Rose asked, softly and hopefully, wondering if this was the moment where he would confess the extent of his feelings for her.

The Priestess, sitting alone at a table in the chip shop, dug her nails into the table, having tapped into the Doctor's mind and listened in on the conversation, and thought the same thing, dread pooling in her stomach and making her sick.

The Doctor stared at her, intensely, as if willing her to understand what he was trying to say.

"You can spend the rest of your life with me," the Doctor said, slowly. Rose looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. With the Priestess."

"The Priestess," Rose couldn't help but hiss out.

The Doctor frowned and rocked back on his heels, finding the tone of her voice strange. He remembered the biting comments and arguments the Priestess and Rose had while he was recovering from his regeneration, and he remembered the Priestess' warning that Rose was having problems with her. All he wanted was his companion and his Bondmate to have a good relationship, was that so much to ask? It was times like this that he cursed his Bondmate's visions and his inability to deny her anything in the universe. Another man would have vetoed the Priestess' decision to keep their relationship from Rose, but he had never been able to say 'no' to her, and he trusted her ability to do what was right and according to her visions.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Rose," he began, slowly. "Do you have a problem with the Priestess travelling with us?" Before Rose could answer, he continued. "Because I need her with me. She's the last of my people and she's my oldest and best friend in the universe. I can't spend the rest of my life with you, Rose. But I can spend it with the Priestess. That's the curse of the Time Lords," he said, finally, his heart lightening when he remembered that his Priestess was still alive and he wasn't as alone as he thought he was. "We have to be together."

Rose felt her heart drop into her stomach, and she had the sudden urge to sob. It was bad enough Sarah Jane had managed to intrude on her time with the Doctor, using her tin dog and her memories of a past that she didn't share, but the Doctor had pretty much confessed to her that he was choosing the Priestess over her.

But, perhaps, that wasn't what he meant. Maybe he meant that there was no other person left for him other than the Priestess. She could understand that. She had a human lifespan and who knew how long Time Lords lived for. And the Priestess would be with him through it all because she was the only being in the universe that could live as long as the Doctor. She could deal with just having the Doctor for her human life. What was that quote, 'it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'? She wouldn't give up on him, not yet, not until she was sure he had absolutely no feelings for her whatsoever. And she was sure that he did. Why else would he be so intent on showing her the universe?

"Time Lord," Mr Finch growled from a nearby rooftop.

The Doctor and Rose, and the Priestess from her vigil in the shop, noticed Mr Finch and the other Krillitane on the roof. The Priestess rushed out and ran towards the Doctor. The Krillitane screeched and swooped down towards them. They ducked, but then it just flew away, not making a second motion to attack.

Sarah Jane and Mickey rushed up to them.

"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah Jane asked, hurriedly.

Rose shook her head. "But it didn't even touch us, it just flew off! What did it do that for?"

The Krillitane flew off into the night, screeching.

* * *

The next morning, the school bell rang and the children flocked towards the school building. The Doctor, the Priestess, Mickey, Rose and Sarah Jane slid out of Sarah Jane's car and strode, purposefully, towards the school. The Doctor paused outside the door for a moment to give instructions.

"Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room. Crack open those computers, we need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this." Rose held her hand out for the sonic screwdriver, but the Doctor chose to give it to Sarah Jane instead. Rose gritted her teeth in annoyance and jealousy as the Doctor so blatantly preferred Sarah Jane to her.

"Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside," the Doctor said, firmly.

Mickey looked downtrodden. "Just stand outside?" he asked, incredulously.

Sarah Jane chucked him her car keys. "Here, take these, you can keep K9 company," she said, cheerfully.

"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack," the Doctor said, innocently.

"But he's metal!" Mickey protested.

"I didn't mean for him." The Doctor smirked.

The Priestess smacked him, sharply, on the arm. "Enough," she said, warningly, and the Doctor looked shamefaced.

Rose rolled her eyes. She instead chose to turn her attention towards the Doctor, completely ignoring the Priestess. "What're _you_ gonna do?"

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a serious look.

"I believe it is time we had a word with Mr Finch," the Priestess said, grimly.

* * *

A pair of shiny black shoes walked down a crowded corridor. They paused a moment. Mr Finch looked up and saw the Doctor and the Priestess leaning over the stairwell, looking down at him and making no attempt to disguise the fact. After giving them a hard stare, Mr Finch went on his way and the Doctor and the Priestess continued on up the stairs.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess opened the door to the swimming pool room, where Mr Finch was waiting for them on the opposite side of the water.

"Who are you?" the Priestess asked, suspiciously.

"My name is Brother Lassa. And you?" Mr Finch raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor growled low in his throat. "The Doctor and the Priestess. Since when did Krillitanes have wings?"

"It's been our form for nearly ten generations, now. Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day, just imagine."

"And now you are shaped human," the Priestess murmured.

Mr Finch shrugged. "A personal favourite, that's all."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "And the others?"

"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath."

All three began to walk around the pool so they would meet in the middle.

"And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and… chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only the two of you. The last."

The Priestess' visage turned cold, her face transforming into a blank mask. "This plan of yours, what is it?" she asked, carefully.

Mr Finch smiled, slowly. "You don't know."

"That's why we're asking," the Doctor pointed out, as they faced each other, the tension rising in the large room.

"Well, show me how clever you two are. Work it out." Mr Finch smirked.

"If we do not approve, then it will stop," the Priestess purred, dangerously, her dark eyes flashing.

Mr Finch considered the two of them, carefully. "Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. The two of you seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor, Priestess?"

The Doctor and the Priestess looked at each other.

"We're so old, now," the Doctor said, quietly. "We used to have so much mercy." His stare was cold and threatening. "You get one warning. That was it." He said, icily.

And then, he grabbed the Priestess' hand, both of them turning their backs on Mr Finch and walking away, calmly.

"But we're not even enemies. Soon... you will embrace us," Mr Finch said, eerily. The Doctor and the Priestess turned back to look at him, questioningly. "The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you."

Mr Finch walked past them with a knowing smile on his face and left. The Doctor and the Priestess watched him go suspiciously, their brows furrowed.

* * *

Mickey wound the car window down. He folded his arms over his chest, looking extremely grumpy.

"'Surveillance'. If you ask me, it's just another way of saying "go sit at the back of the class with the safety scissors and glitter"," he muttered to himself.

He glanced at K9 who was not switched on but had his head poking through the gap between the two front seats. He sighed in disbelief and anger.

"That'd be me talking to a metal dog, then," he said, annoyed.

* * *

Sarah Jane was crouched beneath one of the computer desks and was trying to switch on the sonic screwdriver. She came out, hits the keyboard with a harsh smack, annoyance written on her face, and stared at the sonic screwdriver with disbelief. Rose sat with her legs crossed on one of the chairs, looking bored and just slightly triumphant.

"It's not working!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Give it to me."

Rose snatched the sonic screwdriver off Sarah Jane, rolling her eyes once more, and ducked underneath the desk.

"Used to work first time in my day," Sarah Jane grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, things were a lot simpler back then," Rose said, snidely.

She turned the sonic screwdriver on, and it whirred and buzzed as she held it to the back of the computer.

"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" Sarah Jane asked, carefully.

She had seen those soft and gentle looks that Rose stared at the Doctor with. She remembered being a precocious young girl and she knew exactly what it was like to meet and travel with the Doctor. She had never let herself get as close to the Doctor as Rose seemed to have, always wary of the fact that he had a wife, but she knew if the Priestess had not existed, she wouldn't have been far away from falling in love with the Doctor. It was her duty to caution Rose against it. The Doctor would never leave the Priestess. Their love had lasted centuries, as the proof was right in front of her.

Rose pursed her lips in disapproval, and she straightened. "I've got a feeling you're about to," she muttered.

"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel I'm intruding-" Sarah Jane began, reassuringly.

Rose smirked. "I don't feel threatened by you if that's what you mean," she said, arrogantly.

"Right." Sarah Jane nodded. "Good. Because, I'm not interested in picking up where we left off."

"No?" Rose raised an eyebrow, mockingly. "With the big sad eyes and the robot dog? What else were you doing last night?" she spat.

"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth..." Sarah Jane tensed, sensing that a confrontation was about to begin. "And anyway, it doesn't matter because the Doctor and the Priestess-"

Rose jumped to her feet and walked a few paces away from Sarah Jane. "The thing is... when you two met... they'd only just got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for ya." She smirked, mockingly.

Sarah Jane felt the fury overwhelm her and she walked up to Rose, indignantly. "I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe," she hissed.

"Try me," Rose challenged, coldly.

"Mummies," Sarah Jane spat.

"I've met ghosts."

"Robots. Lots of robots."

"Slitheen. In Downing Street," Rose said, proudly.

"Daleks!" Sarah Jane cried out.

Rose snorted in derision. "Met the Emperor." She rolled her eyes.

"Met the Creator," Sarah Jane shot back, delighting in the way that Rose faltered. "Anti-Matter monsters."

"Gas masked zombies."

"Real living dinosaurs!"

"Real living werewolf." Rose smirked.

"The Doctor regenerating!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

Rose snorted. "Been there, done that." She smirked.

" _Six_ versions of the Doctor," Sarah Jane spat, and she couldn't help but feel the childish pride when Rose's smile fell from her face and the young girl looked uncertain.

She knew it was immature of her, but the girl really needed to be pulled down a few pegs. She had seen the way Rose had been treating the Priestess, as if the woman were a second-class citizen. The Doctor belonged to the Priestess. _That_ fact alone was practically written into the walls of the universe.

"Cat nurses," Rose snarled.

"Time Lords," Sarah Jane cried out, triumphantly.

Rose turned her head away, gritting her teeth. "That's not fair," she snapped. "They're all dead now."

"Doesn't really stop the fact that _I've_ seen them," Sarah Jane said, pointedly. "What else you got?"

"The end of the Earth," Rose spat, feeling her stronghold weaken as she realised that, perhaps, she wasn't all that important to the Doctor as she thought she was.

"I've met the Doctor's children _and_ grandchildren," Sarah Jane confessed, crossing her arms over her chest and watching as Rose paled, her face absolutely white with shock. "Anything else?" she raised an eyebrow, triumphantly.

That was when the Doctor and the Priestess stormed into the computer lab.

"How's it going?" the Doctor asked, his eyes moving between Rose and Sarah Jane.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow at Sarah Jane, sensing the tension in the room and the way that Rose looked at the Doctor, as if she had never met him before. Sarah Jane shrugged and gave her look that she meant to take as _she started it_. The Priestess rolled her eyes.

"Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these," the Doctor said, oblivious to what had just happened between the two humans.

Rose swallowed hard. "The… um… the screwdriver wasn't working." She handed him the sonic screwdriver without giving him a second glance and took a step off to the side.

The Doctor had children and grandchildren, apparently. He had already lived a whole and complete life, centuries before he had ever met her. How could she possibly compare to that? She shook her head. She couldn't let thoughts like that detract away from fighting for the Doctor. She loved him, she knew she did. She just had to prove to the Doctor that he loved her too. So what if he had children and grandchildren and perhaps even a wife? Many people moved on after losing people. Her mother was a prime example of that. Her father had died over fifteen years ago, but that hadn't stopped her mother from living her life. If her mother could, surely, so could the Doctor?

* * *

The children clambered to get inside the IT Suite occupied by the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Sarah Jane. However, Rose shooed them away before they could get inside.

"No, no, this classroom's out of bounds. You've all gotta go to the South Hall. Off you go, South Hall!" She shoved them, lightly, in that direction.

The children moved away and Rose shut the door.

* * *

The Priestess, her sonic lipstick, clenched between her teeth, ripped a handful of wires out of a computer and hung them around the Doctor's neck as the Doctor ran his sonic screwdriver along the back of the computer. Sarah Jane watched him, looking slightly anxious.

"I can't shift it," the Doctor muttered.

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane protested.

"Anything except for a deadlock seal," the Priestess explained, flashing her sonic lipstick at the back of the computer.

"There's gotta be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?" the Doctor muttered to himself.

* * *

"You wanted the program… there it is," Sarah Jane pointed out, gesturing to the computer.

For every computer in the IT Suite was also displaying the code, including the large screen at the front of the room.

The Doctor and the Priestess stared at it, their minds working a mile a minute.

"Some sort of code..."

* * *

Kenny ran down the corridors, looking through every window and seeing the same thing: hordes of children engrossed in the computers. Terrified, he ran back in the direction he came from and down the stairs. He tried the main doors at the front of the school, but he found that they were sealed shut. He rattled them and the sound alerted Mickey, who immediately got out of the car.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess stared at the core, their eyes wide and their jaws dropped, stunned beyond belief.

"No... no, they can't be..." the Doctor muttered, furiously, shaking his head.

* * *

"They've taken them all!" Kenny shouted through the closed doors to Mickey.

Mickey frowned. "What?" he asked, confused.

"They've taken all the children!"

Mickey ran back to the car and ripped the blanket off K9. He pressed random buttons, frantically trying to get K9 to turn on.

"Come on, I need some help!" Mickey growled.

He whacked K9 on the head, then looked away helplessly.

"System restarting. All primary drives functioning."

Mickey's eyes widened. "You're working! Okay, no time to explain, we need to get inside the school. Do you have like, I dunno, a lock-picking device?"

"We are in a car."

Mickey ignored this. "Maybe a drill attachment?

"We are in a car."

"Fat lot of good, you are," Mickey bit out, annoyed.

"We are in a car."

Mickey's eyes widened, finally catching onto what K9 was trying to tell him. "Wait a second... we're in a car." He stuck his head out of the car. "Get back!" he shouted at Kenny.

Kenny squinted through the window, wondering what the strange man was about to do.

* * *

"The Skasis Paradigm," the Priestess said, coldly. "They are attempting to decrypt the Skasis Paradigm."

Sarah Jane frowned. "The Skasis what?"

"The... God-maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control," the Doctor said, slowly.

Rose looked at him, strangely. "What, and the kids are like a giant computer?"

The Priestess nodded. "Yes," she said, grimly. "And their learning capabilities is being accelerated by the oil from the kitchens. It is acting as a conducting agent, which allows the children to be more intelligent and to work more efficiently."

"But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them," Rose pointed out, glumly.

The Priestess rounded on her. "What is fifty-nine multiplied by thirty-five?" she asked, sharply.

"Two thousand and sixty-five," Rose answered, quickly. The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a knowing look. Rose's eyes widened. "Oh my God..." she breathed.

"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asked, curiously.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, it's gotta be children. The God-maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code... they're using their souls," he said, coldly.

Behind him, Mr Finch walked into the room and the Priestess tensed, her eyes turning sharp and decisive.

"Let the lesson begin," he said, ominously.

The Doctor turned to face Mr Finch and the Priestess walked forward so that she was standing beside the Doctor.

Mr Finch approached them, slowly. "Think of it, Doctor, Priestess, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."

"Oh, yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch. Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are," the Doctor said, loftily.

"You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good," Mr Finch said, earnestly.

"I assume you mean someone like you?" the Priestess asked, a knowing yet mocking smile on her lips.

"No... someone like the two of you," Mr Finch said.

The Doctor and the Priestess reared back in shock and remained silent, clearly not have expected this answer.

"The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do, think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... your own people, Doctor, Priestess. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn."

The Doctor remained silent, staring into Mr Finch's eyes and not looking away.

"Doctor, Priestess, don't listen to him," Sarah Jane said, suddenly.

Mr Finch turned to Sarah Jane and Rose. "And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young... fresh... never wither, never age... never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor, Priestess. Join us."

The Doctor had a faraway look in his eyes, looking so terribly tempting to take Mr Finch on his offer. His people back, his family back, his children back. The idea niggled at him, making him feel all warm inside at the thought of having his children by his side again.

"We could save everyone..." the Priestess trailed off, softly, wondering what it would be like to have her children with her again. Her babies, the ones she had been so cruelly forced to watch die. Even then, the loss threatened to overwhelm her.

"Yes." Mr Finch nodded, smiling to himself.

"I could stop the war..." the Doctor whispered.

A small smile graced Mr Finch's lips.

"No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love," Sarah Jane said, desperately trying to reach the Doctor and the Priestess. Mr Finch closed his eyes. "Whether it's a world, or a relationship... everything has its time. And everything ends."

The Priestess broke out of her haze and nodded, closing her eyes and saying goodbye to her children for what seemed like the umpteenth time in her very long life. The Doctor looked at her, practically begging for her to force him to say yes to Mr Finch's proposal. He needed some catalyst. He was right on the edge and the Priestess was the only one who could either push him over and bring him back.

The Priestess shook her head. "All those bright, precious things that meant so much to us... they fade so fast, Doctor. And they won't ever return," she whispered, holding onto the Doctor's hand.

 _I… I would very much like to take the Krillitanes up on their offer, Theta. I desperately want our children to live again. But everything has its time. Our children had their time, no matter how short it was. And now they are dead. We do not get to take the easy way out,_ the Priestess said, finally. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes.

The Doctor stared for a few more seconds and the Priestess' words seemed to strengthen his resolve. He gritted his teeth, picked up a chair and hurled it through the screen displaying the code, which smashed into a rain of glasses.

"Out!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing onto the Priestess' hand and tugging her out of the classroom.

* * *

Mickey started the car and was now driving it straight towards the school, right through the front doors, smashing the windows. He leapt out.

"Come on!" Mickey called out.

* * *

Kenny and Mickey ran into the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Sarah Jane at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is going on?" Mickey asked.

The three Krillitanes half flew, half groped their way along the corridor to them. The Doctor and the others turned on their heels and ran in the opposite direction. The Krillitanes separated at the end of the corridor, and only one pursued them. They ran into the hall and tried the doors on the other side, but they were locked. The Doctor reached inside his coat for the sonic screwdriver, just as Mr Finch burst through the doors followed by several of the Krillitanes.

"Are they my teachers?" Kenny asked, curiously.

The Doctor looked at him, quickly. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Leave the Doctor and the Priestess alive. As for the others... you can feast," Mr Finch told the Krillitanes.

The Krillitanes swooped down on them and the Doctor tried to beat them off with a chair. The others screamed and tried to duck out of the way, when suddenly, one of the Krillitanes was hit with a beam of red light and fell to the floor, dead.

"K9!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, happily.

"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress."

"Come," the Priestess called out, beckoning everyone.

The Doctor and the others ran, and K9 shot at the Krillitanes again and again.

"K9, hold them back!" the Doctor shouted at the metal dog.

"Affirmative, master. Maximum defense mode!"

The Doctor reached a door and he ushered the others through it. The Priestess gave him a look that told him she knew exactly what he was planning and hung back behind everyone else, helping the Doctor push everyone else through the exit. The Doctor slammed it shut behind them and the Priestess locked it with her sonic lipstick.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a wild look.

"It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil! That's it!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"They have transformed their physiology so many times that they have become susceptible to their own oil." The Priestess turned to Rose. "How much of the oil was there in the kitchens?" she asked, quickly.

"Barrels of it," Rose said, abruptly.

They jumped as the Krillitanes started to pound on the locked door, their claws ripping holes in it.

"Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey-"

Mickey scowled. "What now, hold the coats?" he asked, derisively.

"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school. Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?" the Doctor muttered, furiously.

Kenny strode over to a fire alarm, broke the glass with his elbow and sets it off. The Krillitanes immediately winced and quailed at the shrill sound. The Doctor beamed and flung open the door, seeing that the Krillitanes were in too much distress to hurt them. He and the others quickly ran past.

* * *

The Doctor and the others legged it down a corridor. K9 emerged from a doorway.

"Master! Mistress!"

"Come on, boy! Good boy," the Doctor crooned.

K9 trundled along with them.

* * *

Mickey burst into one of the IT Suites.

"Okay, listen everyone, we've gotta get out of here," he called out to the children.

No one took a blind bit of notice of him. The children were all 'plugged into' the computers. Bewildered, Mickey stared at a monitor, then waved his hand in front of one of the girls' faces which elicited no response whatsoever.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Sarah Jane, Rose, K9 and Kenny reached the kitchens. The Doctor immediately held his sonic screwdriver to one of the oil barrels.

"They've been deadlock sealed!" the Doctor shouted, furiously, and tried another. "Finch must've done that, I can't open them."

"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing."

The Doctor and the Priestess took in a sharp breath, exchanging a knowing look, knowing what needed to be done.

The Priestess clapped her hands. "Very well, then. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with us."

Sarah Jane, Rose and Kenny ran to the backdoor, leaving the Doctor and the Priestess crouched before K9.

* * *

Mickey was at the head computer trying to stop the code, without much luck. He looked very confused of what to do next and then noticed the protective casing covering the wires, winding around the walls of the room. He followed it and realised that all the cables led into one plug socket. So, he yanked it out. All of the computers went dead and blank and the socket exploded with sparks.

"Everyone, get out, now!" Mickey shouted.

The trance was broken, and the children immediately got to their feet and moved towards the door.

"Come on, move! Let's go, let's go!"

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess moved the vats of oil within easy shot of K9.

"Capacity for only one shot, Master, Mistress. For maximum impact, I must be placed directly beside the vat."

The Priestess rushed over to him and knelt in front of K9. "But you will be trapped inside," she said, pointedly.

"That is correct."

The Doctor growled. "We can't let you do that."

"No alternative possible, Master."

The Doctor looked over his shoulder as he heard the screeching of the Krillitanes in the background. He looks back at K9 and the Priestess, realising that this is what must be done.

"Goodbye, old friend," the Doctor said, mournfully.

The Priestess looked at him, horrified. "What? No," she spat.

The Doctor grabbed the Priestess' struggling form by the waist and tugged her into his side, prepared to drag her out of the kitchen.

"Goodbye, Master, Mistress."

"You good dog," the Doctor said, fondly, pressing the Priestess' head into his shoulder and feeling the tears drip onto his suit.

"Affirmative."

K9 waggled his mechanical ears and tail. The Priestess placed her hand briefly on K9's head, and then the Doctor dashed off with the Priestess in his arms. K9 trundled off towards the vat. The Doctor and the Priestess emerged outside and slammed the door behind him, locking it with the sonic screwdriver.

* * *

"Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asked, urgently, observing the Doctor's guilty face and the Priestess' pained eyes.

"We need to run," the Doctor said, his voice clipped, and he started to run.

Sarah Jane remained steadfast in her spot. "Where is he?! What've you done?" she shouted.

The Priestess pursed her lips and grabbed Sarah Jane, pulling her away from the school, as she, Sarah Jane and the Doctor ran for their lives, just like the Doctor and Sarah Jane used to.

* * *

Mickey found himself caught up in the crowd of children running out of the school.

"Come on, guys! Let's go, let's go!" he shouted, urgently, ushering everyone outside.

* * *

Only the Doctor, the Priestess and Sarah Jane stood separate from the merriment of the children who were celebrating the end of the Krillitanes and Mr Finch's tyranny. Sarah Jane looked distraught and the Priestess wrapped a comforting arm around the younger woman's shoulder, allowing Sarah Jane to rest her head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, quietly, holding onto the Priestess' hand.

Sarah Jane sniffled and looked up from the Priestess. "It's all right. He was just a... daft metal dog. Fine, really."

And then she burst into tears, burying her face into the Priestess' shoulder as her arms came around her. The Doctor also put his arm around her comfortingly. Rose turned back to look at the Doctor and the Priestess, entwined around Sarah Jane, and felt that stabbing sort of jealousy strike her in the gut. Why couldn't the Doctor be with her like that? What was it about Sarah Jane and the Priestess that made the Doctor all gaga over them?

* * *

It was a beautiful day, in what looked like a park. Sarah Jane walked up to the TARDIS and the Doctor and the Priestess stepped outside the doors and faced her.

"Cuppa tea?" the Doctor asked, lightly.

He stepped aside and allowed Sarah Jane to walk through the doors. She took in the interior, wide-eyed. The Doctor and the Priestess followed her through and shut the door behind her. Sarah Jane turned to him.

"You've redecorated!" she exclaimed.

"Do you like it?" the Doctor asked, hesitantly, rocking back on his heels.

Sarah Jane looked around. "Oh, I-I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh... yeah. It'll do!"

"I loved it back then," the Priestess said, wistfully. "It was very techno-chic." She murmured.

"You were in the TARDIS before?" Rose snarled.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "Of course I was," she said, blandly.

Realising that Rose was about to say something else, Sarah Jane quickly interceded. "Hey, you, what's forty-seven times three hundred and sixty nine?"

Rose shrugged. "No idea. It's gone now, the oil's faded."

The Priestess looked at the Doctor. "Doctor...?" she said, encouragingly.

The Doctor looked up from the console. "Um, we're about to head off, but... you could come with us."

The Priestess looked at her, smiling expectantly. Sarah Jane looked from happy face to happy face to sullen face, and shook her head.

"No... I can't do this anymore," Sarah Jane said, softly. The Doctor's and the Priestess' smiles faded slightly. "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own." Sarah Jane said, enthusiastically.

"Can I come?" Mickey asked, suddenly.

Sarah Jane and the Priestess looked stunned at the suggestion. But Rose, however, knew exactly what he meant and looked even less pleased than when the Priestess had asked Sarah Jane to join them.

Mickey's eyes widened, realising how his question could have been interpreted. "No, not with you, I mean... with you." He said, quickly, and gestured to the Doctor. "'Cause I'm not the tin dog. And I wanna see what's out there," he said, earnestly.

Rose mouthed 'no' at the Doctor, much to the Priestess' irritation and confusion.

"Oh, go on, Doctor, Priestess. Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board!" Sarah Jane encouraged.

The Doctor looked at the Priestess and she nodded, emphatically. "Okay then, I could do with a laugh." He shrugged.

Rose rolled her eyes and scowled at the way the Doctor seemed to listen to the Priestess. Mickey laughed in delight, but stopped quickly upon noticing Rose's lack of response.

"Rose, is that okay?" Mickey asked, carefully.

"No, great. Why not?" Rose said, sarcastically.

And there was a rather awkward silence.

Sarah Jane sighed. "Well, I'd better go."

She took the Priestess aside, much to the Rose's disbelief and anger, and the Doctor returned his attention to the TARDIS console.

"Rose… she doesn't know about you and the Doctor, does she?" Sarah Jane asked her, quietly.

The Priestess chanced a look at Rose, who was staring at her and Sarah Jane with thinly veiled suspicion, but she was sure that Rose cannot hear them.

"Did… did the Doctor ever speak to you of my… curse?" the Priestess asked, carefully.

"He told me… he told me that you have these visions…" Sarah Jane trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

The Priestess swallowed hard. "In one of these visions, I observed Rose making certain choices that she could only make if she were to remain unaware as to the nature of the Doctor's and mine relationship," she confessed. "I have always put the truth of my visions ahead of everything else, Sarah. I cannot falter now." She whispered. She bit her lip. "Even if it may kill me in the future."

Sarah Jane pursed her lips and placed a hand on the Priestess' shoulder, comfortingly. "I just hope you know what you're doing." She leaned in, wrapping her arms around the Priestess. "Come and find me, if you need me one day. I'll be here for you," she whispered in the Priestess' ear.

The Priestess nodded, gratefully, slowly wrapping her arms around Sarah Jane, briefly before letting her go.

The Doctor held open the doors for Sarah Jane, who stepped out of the TARDIS for the last time. The Doctor followed her, and they stood outside for their final goodbyes.

"It's daft. But I haven't ever thanked you for that time, and like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Sarah Jane confessed, a small smile on her face.

The Doctor smiled, slowly. "Something to tell the grandkids," he suggested.

Sarah Jane smiled, sadly. "Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now," she said, forlornly.

The Doctor looked distinctly awkward at the turn of the conversation. "Right. Yes, sorry, I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't... there hasn't been anyone...? You know...?"

Sarah Jane smiled, thoughtfully, remembering how taken she had been with the Doctor before finding about the Priestess. "Well... there was this one guy. I travelled with him for a while. But he was a tough act to follow," she confessed and laughed slightly, the Doctor smiling softly at her. "Goodbye, Doctor." She said, slowly, steeling herself.

"Oh, it's not goodbye-"

Sarah Jane bit her lip. "Say it, please. This time. Say it," she pleaded.

The Doctor looked her straight in the eye. "Goodbye." He grinned. "My Sarah Jane."

He threw his arms around her and lifted her right off the ground in a final embrace. He gave her one last smile before heading back into the TARDIS. Before he could open the door, Sarah Jane stopped him one last time.

"Doctor," she called out and he turned to look at her, questioningly. "Would you… just… be careful with the Priestess, will you? I mean, she looks like a strong thing, but even the strongest of people can fall sometimes," she said, worriedly, thinking the way the Priestess' eyes had saddened at the thought of pretending to Rose.

The Doctor's brow furrowed as he wondered why she was warning him about the Priestess. Although, he couldn't say he wasn't pleased by the thought of his dear companion forming a bond with the woman whom his universe revolved around.

"I will, Sarah Jane," the Doctor vowed, seriously. He would die before he let the Priestess fall.

He closed the door behind him, leaving Sarah Jane standing alone outside. The engines started up and she walked slowly away, not looking back until the TARDIS had almost gone, her eyes sparkling with tears. The leaves billowed in the breeze created by the TARDIS, and K9 was revealed where he must've been sitting just out of sight behind it.

"K9!" she cried out, overjoyed beyond belief.

K9 trundled over to her. "Mistress!"

Sarah Jane crouched down in front of the metal dog. "But... you were blown up!"

"Master and Mistress rebuilt me. My systems are much improved with new undetectable hyperlink facilities."

Sarah Jane beamed. "Oh...! He replaced you with a brand-new model!"

"Affirmative."

"Yep." Sarah Jane grinned. "He does that. Come on, you. Home. We've got work to do."

"Affirmative."

And Sarah Jane and K9 walked off into the sunset.

* * *

The Doctor walked into their bedroom to find the Priestess all tucked into bed, leaning against the headboard as she read one of the books he presumed she had already read a million times before.

"Is there a problem?" the Doctor asked, slowly, approaching her and sitting on the bed, just in front of her feet.

"I have absolutely no problem," the Priestess told him, keeping her eyes on the book. "Whatever gave you that idea, beloved?"

"Something Sarah Jane told me. She told me to be careful with you and that even strong people can fall sometimes," the Doctor explained. He placed hand on her thigh. "'Nika, is there something we need to talk about? You've just been strange since… well, since I regenerated." He confessed.

The Priestess sighed and closed her book, placing it one of the tables beside the bed. "There is nothing we need to speak about," she said, tightly. "I am fine. I have no idea why you would believe I have been strange since your regeneration. Perhaps, that is your own guilt weighing at you."

"What does that even mean?" the Doctor asked, frustrated.

"I confessed to you that I believed that Rose has an issue with Sarah Jane and you completely disregarded my concerns," the Priestess spat. "You have _never_ treated me as if I were some stupid human that came aboard your ship. You insult me, Theta Sigma." Her voice is scathing.

The Doctor reared back with the force of her anger. He didn't realise that he had her feelings to this extent. "'Nikki, I'm sorry… I…"

"Perhaps it is _you_ who has changed since the regeneration, but I have not," she said, coldly. "I remain that everlasting, loyal _fool_ I was since the moment I met you and I can assure you _that_ will never change." She hissed.

"Annika, I-"

"After meeting with Sarah Jane yesterday, I believe I have finally comprehended something, Theta," the Priestess murmured, half-heartedly.

She smiled in sorrow and the gesture ached at the Doctor in a way that made him feel sick to his stomach.

"You are a careless man, my love. Even I can tell you that. You smash up things and people and you run away into time and space, and you leave _them_ to clean up the mess you made. And sometimes, it does not work the way you imagine it would."

With that final word, she asked the TARDIS to switch off the lights and she burrowed into her pillow, feigning sleep until she heard his feet padding to the either side of the bed and him climbing under the covers beside her.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Okay, so I changed a few things in this episode. I had Rose and Sarah Jane not be okay with each other because I felt like Rose would be on the defensive now that she had more than one rival for the Doctor's affections. And I liked the idea of Sarah Jane and the Priestess having this growing bond with each other because the Priestess desperately needs a friend like that, and she doesn't have Jack anymore and it'll be awhile before she meets Martha and Donna. I also scrapped that chat Rose had with Sarah Jane and replaced it with a talk between Sarah Jane and Rose because the Priestess is feeling depressed at this point, thinking that the Doctor is becoming more and more distant from her. And she needs to know she has a friend she can go to if something happens.

I also had Rose find out about the Doctor's children/granddaughter earlier on, because it's not like they talk about it after _Fear Her_ anyway. It was just this throwaway remark in _Fear Her_ so I thought I would expand on Rose's fear and the way she justifies herself in her mind.

And we had a fight between the Doctor and the Priestess. I realised in I think almost thirty chapters, we haven't actually had a proper fight between the two and I've been aching to write one. This will set the scene for the rest of season 2 and most of season 3. They'll have all these mini-fights and they will become part of a larger problem that will come out at the end of season 2. The Doctor and the Priestess will not have an easy go of it in the future.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!

 **Reviews** :

 _Bladewolf101_ : Unfortunately, not. Just this season.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much!

 _the stargate time traveller_ : He definitely is! Oh, and thanks for letting me know.

 _CrystalVixen93_ : Thank you!


	10. TGITF: Champagne Glasses

**A/N** : Here's _The Girl in the Fireplace_. I know a lot of people think they know how this episode is going to go, but I've changed it around.

 **Warnings** : Nothing to worry about in this chapter.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 10**

 **The Girl in the Fireplace: Champagne Glasses**

The Doctor and the Priestess emerged from the TARDIS, closely followed by Rose and Mickey. All four proceeded to look around a dark, disused room of the spaceship they found themselves in.

"It's a spaceship!" Mickey exclaimed, excitedly, and the Priestess smiled at his enthusiasm. "Brilliant, I got a spaceship on my first go!"

Rose squinted, looking around the room. "Looks kind of abandoned... Anyone on board?" she asked no one in particular.

"Nah, nothing here. Well! Nothing dangerous." The Priestess glared at him. "Well! Not that dangerous." The Doctor paused. "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan... in case there's anything dangerous," he said, hastily.

He and the Priestess hadn't had a chance to air out their previous conversation, the night they met Sarah Jane. They had simply fallen back into their old routine, their fight forgotten, and it showed, the way they hedged around each other.

The Priestess rolled her eyes and made her way to a control panel in the centre of the room, tapping away at some of the buttons.

"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" Rose asked, curiously, annoyed at the way the Doctor's eyes seemed to follow the Priestess.

The Doctor shrugged, peering at what the Priestess' had pulled up on the control panel. "About three thousand years into your future, give or take."

The Doctor pulled on a switch and the lights turned on, the roof gradually opening into a window that showed a spectacular view of the stars outside.

"Fifty-first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey! Two and a half galaxies!" the Doctor beamed, excitedly.

Mickey moved over to one of the porthole, gazing out at the view of the stars in awe. Rose walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling, as the Doctor and the Priestess rummaged around the control panel, picking up bits and pieces of presumably broken technology and looking unimpressed.

"Mickey Smith, meet the universe. See anything you like?" Rose smirked, a smile playing on her lips.

"It's so realistic!" Mickey swallowed hard, amazed.

"Dear me, had some cowboys in here! Got a ton of repair work going on," the Doctor mused, shaking his head.

He chucked the pieces down casually and the Priestess pulled him over, noticing a screen with a diagram of the spaceship on it. Rose and Mickey join them to look at it.

"Now, this is very strange," the Priestess mused. "Every single one of the warp engines is working at full capacity. There is enough power coursing through this spaceship to achieve a great deal of damage to the universe. But, we do not seem to be moving. This means that the power seems to go somewhere else." She said, slowly.

Rose looked around, narrowing her eyes. "Where'd all the crew go?" she asked, suspiciously.

The Doctor leaned forwards and tweaked a few knobs on the control panel.

"Good question," the Doctor muttered.

The Priestess frowned, reading the screen. "There do not seem to be any life readings on board," she said, her brow furrowing.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Well, we're in deep space; they didn't just nip out for a quick fag," she said, pointedly.

The Doctor shook his head, taking her comment seriously. "Nope, we checked all the smoking pods," he said.

There was a pause and the Priestess straightened, looking around.

"Does anyone else smell something burning?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Rose's brow furrowed. "Yeah, someone's cooking."

"Sunday roast, definitely!"

The Doctor pressed another button on the wall and a door opened behind them. They walked through and saw a section of the wall and floor with eighteenth century decor, as well as a lit fireplace.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century! French! Nice mantel," he said, impressed. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the fireplace. "Not a hologram." He explained.

He and the Priestess bent down to examine it more closely, as Mickey and Rose explored the rest of the room.

"This is not a reproduction," the Priestess murmured. "This is actually an eighteenth-century French fireplace. It is double-sided; there is another room through the fireplace." She explained.

Rose was looking through another porthole on the same wall as the fireplace, and the only thing she could see was the starry sky beyond the spaceship.

"There can't be; that's the outer hull of the ship, look," Rose said in disbelief.

The Doctor and the Priestess suddenly crouched down, looking through the fireplace into the other room. Their eyes met the eyes of a young girl with long, straight blonde hair, dressed in a flowy white nightgown, who was looking back at them with curiosity in her eyes.

"Hello!" the Doctor called out.

"Hello." The Priestess smiled, gently, at the young girl.

"Hello…" the girl blinked.

"What is your name, dear?" the Priestess asked, softly, brushing back her hair.

"Reinette," the girl answered, blankly.

"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" the Doctor asked, encouragingly.

Reinette's brow furrowed. "In my bedroom," she replied, with just the slightest suspicion in her voice.

"And where is your bedroom?" the Priestess asked. "Where do you live, Reinette?"

The girl's eyes widened, as if it were the silliest question she had ever heard. "Paris, of course!"

The Doctor swallowed hard and nodded, emphatically. "Paris, right!"

He exchanged a knowing look with the Priestess, who nodded, coming to the same conclusion as he had.

"Monsieur, Madame, what are you doing in my fireplace?" the girl asked, curiously.

"Oh, it's just a routine..." the Doctor's eyes shifted as he thought of an excuse. "Fire check. Can you tell us what year it is?" he asked, gently.

"Of course, I can! Seventeen hundred and twenty-seven," Reinette answered, proudly.

"Right, lovely! One of my favourites... August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. " The Doctor shrugged and the Priestess smacked his arm. "Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night!"

"Goodnight, Monsieur, Madame." Reinette smiled.

The Doctor and the Priestess stood, looking thoughtful.

"You said this was the fifty-first century," Mickey said, confused.

"We also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink," the Doctor said, hurriedly.

The Priestess' eyes widened, and she turned to look at the Doctor with a great degree of scepticism.

"What's that?" Mickey's brow furrowed.

"Nothing," the Priestess said through gritted teeth. "The term does not exist." She threw a withering glare to the Doctor. "Stop fooling the humans."

The Doctor looked sheepish. "Didn't wanna say 'magic door'."

Rose smirked at him. "And on the other side of the _magic door_ …" Rose's voice deepened. "Is France in 1727?"

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded, and they looked back at the fireplace before walking across the room, the Doctor taking his coat off and the Priestess pulling off her scarf, throwing the articles of clothing into the corner.

"She was speaking French," the Priestess said, pointedly.

"Right period French, too." The Doctor nodded.

Mickey frowned. "She was speaking English, I heard her!" he protested.

Rose draped her arms over Mickey's shoulders and around his neck from the back as the Doctor and the Priestess strode back to the fireplace.

"That's the TARDIS: translates for ya," Rose said, triumphantly.

"Even French!?" Mickey exclaimed, his eyes widening, dramatically.

"Yep." Rose nodded.

The Doctor kneed the side of the fireplace and grabbed onto the Priestess' arm when he felt that section of the wall begin to rotate, like something out of a horror movie, taking the Doctor and the Priestess along with it.

"Gotcha!" the Doctor exclaimed, cheerfully.

"Doctor!" Rose's eyes widened and she called out.

"Priestess!" Mickey shouted.

* * *

Once the fireplace had finished turning, the Doctor and the Priestess found themselves standing in a dark and shadowy bedroom, with the young Reinette fast asleep in her bed. The ticking of a clock was heard by them as the Doctor and the Priestess wandered towards the window. A Paris skyline could be seen, and it was snowing. The neigh of a horse was heard and the young Reinette's eyes snapped open to see the silhouettes of the Doctor and the Priestess at the window. She sat up, suddenly terrified by the strange people in her bedroom, and the Doctor and the Priestess turned around.

"It's okay! Don't scream! It's us, it's the fireplace people. Look," the Doctor said, hurriedly, moving over and lighting a candle by her bed with the sonic screwdriver. But, Reinette still looked startled by their presence in her bedroom. "We were talking, just a moment ago. We were in your fireplace."

"Monsieur, Madame, that was weeks ago. That was months!" Reinette exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Is that so?" the Priestess asked, surprised.

The Priestess walked back to the fireplace and knocked on it, listening to the sound that her actions produced.

"It must be a loose connection," the Priestess told the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded. "Need to get a man in," he told her.

"Who are you?" Reinette asked, curiously, looking at the strange man and woman, especially observing the way the woman was dressed. The woman wore a black tank top and tight jeans, and a pair of high-heeled, black boots. The woman was wearing trousers, a fact that was currently stunning Reinette beyond belief. "And what are you doing here?"

The Doctor chose not to reply. Instead, he dragged the Priestess over to examine a clock on the mantle. The Doctor's eyes were wide, his jaw gaping, and he looked ever so fearful. The Priestess paled and her hands trembled at her side. The ticking sound grew in volume in the room.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Okay, that's scary..." he trailed off.

 _It is the sound of a Clockwork Repair Droid,_ the Priestess told him with the slightest tremble in her voice in his mind, a sound that hit him directly in his hearts.

His Annika should never be afraid. If she was, he had failed as her Bondmate.

 _The purpose of those machines is to fix spaceships that are under repair. The droid must have crossed through the fireplace from the fifty-first century,_ the Priestess explained.

"You're scared of a broken clock?" Reinette asked them, sceptically.

"Just a bit scared, yeah." The Doctor nodded. "Just a little tiny bit. 'Cause you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room..." The Doctor paused, turning to look back at Reinette. The ticking continued. "Then, what's that?" He asked, slowly, referring to the ticking in the air.

The ticking grew louder and louder and Reinette looked around, clearly scared again. The Priestess moved over to the young blonde girl and sat beside her on the bed. She then enveloped the girl in her arms, who sank into her embrace, gratefully, hiding her face in the Priestess' shoulder, but peeking every now and then to make sure she was still on top of what was going on. The Doctor barely moved, speaking slowly and quietly.

"'Cause you see that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. Size of a man," the Doctor explained.

' _Nika, where is the droid?_ the Doctor asked, slowly.

The Priestess swallowed hard. _I cannot tell,_ she confessed.

"What is it?" Reinette asked, fearfully.

The Doctor checked behind the curtains, finding nothing. His words were much quicker now, his voice acting as his stream of consciousness.

"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticks and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do: break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two?" He paused. "You might start to wonder if you're really alone," he confessed. He moved towards the bed and crouched down, giving Reinette and the Priestess instructions as he pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." He said, warningly.

He peered underneath the bed before turning on the sonic screwdriver to scan. Suddenly, something smacked the Doctor backwards, knocking the screwdriver out of his hand. Reinette gasped and the Priestess made to move off the bed and help him, but he held up a hand to stop her. He didn't need her putting herself in the face of danger to protect him. She had done that plenty over their very long lives and it was his job to protect her now. The Doctor scrambled back to look underneath. He could see the feet of something standing there, apparently wearing typical aristocratic French dress. The Doctor slowly resumed crouching, looking at the Priestess and Reinette with wide eyes.

"'Tess… Reinette…" he whispered. "Don't look round." He warned.

A figure was standing on the other side of the bed, wearing a creepy clown-like mask and leering down at Reinette. The Priestess' heightened senses picked up on something standing behind her and she closed her eyes, willing her pounding hearts to slow until they gave out a normal heartbeat. She wrapped her arms around the young girl even more tightly and the girl buried her face in the Priestess' neck, shuddering from the terror.

"You stay exactly where you are," the Doctor told the two, shortly.

The Doctor stood up to look straight at the figure. He glanced back at Reinette, then at the figure, and then back at Reinette, discomforted by something. The Priestess' eyes widened, reading his conclusion on his face.

"Hold still, let me look…" the Doctor trailed off.

He bent down and grasped Reinette's head between his hands, staring intently into her eyes with a disturbed expression before looking back at the figure.

The Priestess turned to look at the clockwork droid. "You have been scanning her brain," she said, flatly.

The Doctor straightened. "What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?" he asked, horrified and incredulous.

Reinette swallowed hard. "I don't understand... it wants me?!" she asked, horrified. She turned around to look at the droid, but did not flinch when she gazed upon its face. "You want me?" she asked, her lower lip quivering slightly.

The figure's head twitched to one side and it spoke in a distinctly mechanical voice.

"Not yet. You are incomplete," the droid replied.

"'Incomplete'?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean, 'incomplete'?"

The droid did not answer, but continued to stare at Reinette. The Doctor stood up and spoke in a firm but slightly irritated voice, producing the sonic screwdriver and pointing it threateningly at the droid.

"You can answer her, you can answer us. What do you mean, 'incomplete'?" the Doctor snarled.

The droid again did not answer, instead walking in jerky movements around the bed and facing the Doctor and the Priestess. The droid extended an arm and a menacing looking blade slid out near the Doctor's face. He tilted his head away. The Priestess paled and she reached a hand out, her hand grabbing onto the back of the Doctor's suit and pulling him away from the blade.

"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette called out, fearfully.

The Doctor shook his head, keeping his head away from the droid. "Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares," he said, darkly.

No one knew that better than the Doctor and the Priestess. They were haunted every night by the atrocities they had witnessed and they had committed. The Priestess watched all of time and space pass in her dreams and never opened her mouth as to what she saw, her visions almost driving her insane every single time she was accosted by one. She dreamt of decimating Daleks in the war, her only choice in an unwinnable war. She dreamt of watching her children fall, one by one, the pain threatening to overwhelm her and possibly even kill her. She dreamt of breaking into tiny little pieces, like glass, thinking the Doctor had been murdered. The Doctor, her Doctor, her Theta Sigma, her Bondmate. She remembered feeling as though someone had stabbed her in the stomach and tore her hearts right out of her chest.

The Doctor's nightmares were his reality. He watched his greatest defeat during the Time War and was burdened by the fact that his nightmare wasn't simply a nightmare. It was a memory and it was the truth. He dreamt of his children's deaths becoming a reality rather than a probable occurrence. He dreamt of watching as his Bondmate became less of a person and more of an ideal to his people, and he remembered the soul-crushing agony he had felt, knowing in his hearts that the woman he loved more than anything in the universe was dead.

The Doctor backed away, the droid pursuing him. It swiped at the Doctor who jumped back, reaching the fireplace. The Priestess rushed over to him, determined to help him evade the droid. She gripped onto the back of his suit and pulled him away from the droid every time.

"Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" the Doctor asked, coldly.

The droid slashed at the Doctor and the Priestess again. They jumped aside, and the droid's blade hit the mantel, getting stuck in the wood.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked, curiously.

As the droid struggled, the Doctor and the Priestess took the opportunity to turn the fireplace around.

"Us, ha!" the Doctor cackled.

Reinette smiled as the droid, the Doctor and the Priestess disappeared from her view, the fireplace spinning around in a circle.

* * *

"Doctor!" Rose called out in relief, seeing him return.

As the fireplace finished turning, the Doctor ran and grabbed a gun-like object from the wall, using it to spray ice at the droid. It convulsed in a last, vain attempt to free itself before freezing completely.

"Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey said, appreciatively.

The Doctor calmly threw the makeshift weapon to Rose, who caught it, not being able to resist the urge to shoot the Priestess a triumphant look. The Doctor had chosen _her_ to take the weaponthis time, hadn't he?

"Fire extinguisher," the Priestess said, flatly.

Rose's face fell, slightly, as she wondered if her triumph had been too early. "Where did that thing come from?" Rose asked, worriedly, looking at the incapacitated droid.

"Here," the Priestess said, darkly.

"So, why is it dressed like that?" Mickey asked, confused.

The Doctor shrugged. "Field trip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol… nice needlework! Shame about the face."

The Doctor and the Priestess walked back over to the droid, squinting at it. The Doctor pulled off the wig to reveal its actual head: an ornate clockwork mechanism, covered with a clear plastic egg shape. The Doctor could not help but admire it with near giddy excitement.

"Oh, you are beautiful!" he crowed. He tugged the Priestess forward by her wrist and pulled her against his side, wrapping an arm around her waist, so that she could examine the droid in a better view. Mickey and Rose edged closer in curiosity, the latter fixing the arm that was around the Priestess' waist with a furious glare, and the Doctor slid on his glasses to examine it more closely. "No really, you are, you're gorgeous! Look at that! Space age clockwork, I love it! I've got chills! Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart – and, by the way, count those – it would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you," he said, mournfully.

The Priestess pulled out her sonic lipstick from the pocket of her jeans. "Unfortunately, that cannot sway us."

The droid creaked back into life and teleported away. Rose and Mickey blinked and looked around, and the Priestess slid the lipstick back into her pocket, she and the Doctor walking swiftly back to the fireplace and preparing to go back to the other side.

"Short range teleport, can't have got far. Could still be on board-" the Doctor muttered to the Priestess, who nodded.

Rose frowned, annoyed at the way the Doctor and the Priestess were keeping secrets from her. "What is it?" she asked, impatiently.

The Doctor turned on his heel and pointed at Rose and Mickey. "Don't go looking for it!" he said, warningly.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "Where're you going?" she spat, wondering why it had to be _her_ accompanying the Doctor everywhere he went. It was almost as if the Doctor wasn't willing to let her out of his sight.

But that was daft… the Doctor didn't have feelings for the Priestess. He just couldn't. He just needed a little push and he'd fall head over heels for Rose.

"Back in a sec," the Doctor said, quickly.

And he turned the fireplace, he and the Priestess returning to Reinette's side. Rose looked down at the fire extinguisher, weighing it up in her hands.

Mickey's eyes dawned with realisation as he realised what Rose was planning on doing. "He said not to look for it..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, he did," Rose said, feigning seriousness.

They looked at each other for a few moments, before Mickey smiled and grabbed the other fire extinguisher on the wall.

"Now, you're getting it!" Rose laughed.

They both jogged from the room.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess now stood by the fireplace in a plush bedroom of red and gold. They stepped away from it and the Doctor called out.

"Reinette… just checking you're okay…"

He idly brushed a hand across the strings of a harp as a beautiful young woman, wearing a gorgeous dress, walked into the room. The woman paused, seeming to recognise the Doctor and the Priestess, as her eyes flashed. The Doctor did not seem to notice her until she cleared her throat and the Priestess nudged him in the side.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh! Hello!" he called out with a beaming smile.

He quickly put away his glasses, clearly surprised by the woman's sudden appearance. He wondered if this was Reinette's mother.

"Um, I was just looking for Reinette. Uh, this is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long," the Doctor stammered.

"Reinette! We're ready to go!" a woman called out from outside the room.

"Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there," Reinette answered, sweetly, not taking her eyes of the now stunned Doctor and Priestess.

The Priestess began to smile, realising that the woman before her was the young blonde girl she had just comforted moments ago.

"It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence," Reinette said, teasingly, the skirts of her dress swishing against the tiled floor as she moved closer to the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Reinette," the Priestess said, grinning.

Reinette smiled at her.

"Well," the Doctor said, suddenly. He swallowed hard, a little stunned by the revelation. "You've definitely grown." He said, hoarsely. He looked at the Priestess, suddenly shamefaced. "Not that I was looking. I would never look. I've always been a fan of _not looking_." He said, hastily.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. "Oh, beloved, sometimes I truly do worry about the state of your sanity," she said, sweetly, leaning on her toes and pressing a warm kiss to the underside of his jaw.

Reinette watched them with affection and she approached them. "You both do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you," she said, pointedly, her eyes flashing, playfully.

"Right... yes... sorry. Um... umm... umm… listen, lovely to catch up, but er, better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man and woman, do we?" the Doctor laughed, slightly.

Reinette blinked, as if the idea had never occurred to her. "Strange? How could you be strangers to me? I have known you since I was seven years old," she said, earnestly.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Yeah… I suppose." He laughed, slightly. "We came the quick route."

Reinette approached the Priestess and touched her cheek with the tips of her fingers, much to her surprise.

"Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real," Reinette murmured.

The Doctor shook his head, gazing at Reinette with continued disbelief. "Oh, pfft..." he scoffed. "You never want to listen to reason..."

"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient," a servant called out to Reinette.

"A moment!" Reinette called back, annoyed at the interruption. She looked back at the Doctor and the Priestess. "So many questions. So little time."

She pursed her lips and grabbed the Doctor towards her and kissed him, passionately, on the lips. Before the Priestess could protest, she felt soft hands cupping her face and dragging her across as Reinette pressed her lips to his, her lips moving surely over hers. The Priestess and Reinette stumbled backwards into the mantelpiece, the Priestess starting to kiss her back, while the Doctor watched them with a great deal of shock and the slightest bit of arousal. He never thought he'd see his Bondmate kissing another woman and wondered if this was what human men went all gaga about.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" the servant called out, his voice much closer than it was before.

Reinette broke the kiss and ran to the open door, grabbing a purse from her dressing table as she goes, without so much as a backward glance. The Doctor and the Priestess watched her, awestruck, as she left. The servant came to the door but stopped dead as he noticed the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Poisson?" the Priestess' eyes widened, her lips still tingling from the kiss. "Reinette Poisson?"

The servant looked bemused by their presence.

The Doctor blinked, the same realization coming to him. "No... no, no, no, no, no way, Reinette Poisson?!" he exclaimed. He ran straight up to the manservant, getting right into his face, as though interrogating him but not letting him get a word in. "Later Madame Etoiles? Later still, mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" He ran back to the fireplace, grabbing the Priestess, who beamed at his excitement. "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan? Fantastic gardener!" he cackled.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The Doctor reached for the fireplace and found the trigger back to the ship, and he and the Priestess stepped onto the edge.

"I'm the Doctor and this is the Priestess. And we just snogged Madame de Pompadour," the Doctor said, giddily.

The fireplace revolved again, taking the Doctor and the Priestess with it as the Doctor laughed, manically. He and the Priestess stepped back onto the ship in the fifty-first century.

"Rose!" the Doctor called out, finding the room empty, completely devoid of life. He looked around.

"Mickey!" the Priestess cried out, her voice echoing throughout the room.

The Doctor strode forward, annoyed beyond belief, and he rounded on his heel, fixing her with an agitated glare that she knew wasn't meant for her.

"Every time, _every time_ , it's rule one, don't wander off! I tell them, I do, rule one! There could be anything on this ship!" he exclaimed.

The Priestess shrugged. "Perhaps you should invest in a leash. I have heard they sell child leashes now, although I do not exactly approve of treating children like dogs. Perhaps they have one for wayward adolescents such as Rose and Mickey."

The Doctor chuckled at that and moved over to her. He swooped down and kissed her on the mouth, divesting her lips of any remnants of Reinette's taste. He and the Priestess turned around the corner and were met by a white horse standing in the middle of the corridor. The Doctor and the Priestess blinked while the horse whinnied.

* * *

Mickey looked furtively down a corridor, holding one of the fire extinguishers, before doing an Indiana Jones-style drop-and-roll. He carried on in the same silly way until he came face-to-face with a surveillance camera. It moved towards him and blinked.

"Are you looking at me?" Mickey scoffed at the camera.

The camera moved closer to his face suddenly and Mickey jumped backwards with a squeak of alarm, his eyes widening with shock. When he looked closer, he could see that a human eye constituted the lens of the camera. Rose joined him, when she heard him scream.

"Look at this," Mickey said, beckoning her over. They both observed the camera and the eye inside, the eye looking directly back at them. "That's an eye in there. That's a real eye." He exclaimed, stunned, his skin tingling at the way the human eye searched him.

The eye retreated back into the wall and suddenly, the two could hear the sound of a heartbeat close by. Rose bent down, crouching beside a small circular cover in the bulkhead. She tried to pull the cover away, but it scalds her, her fingers turning red from the burn. She tried again, gritting through the pain in her skin, and it opened to reveal a human heart with wires and pipes attaching it into the ship.

"What is that? What's that in the middle there? It's like it's wired in," Mickey said, squinting from his position above her.

"That's a heart, Mickey... that's a human heart," Rose said, quietly, flinching away and shuddering from the disgust that enveloped her.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess crossed a junction of corridors, both of them looking completely lost as they looked for their wayward companions.

"Rose?" the Doctor called out into the emptiness in front of them, his voice almost childlike.

The horse followed them. The Doctor and the Priestess stopped to look down a corridor before the Doctor turned to fix the horse with a withering glare.

"Will you stop following me? We're not your parents!" the Doctor said, irritably.

The Priestess giggled and rested her head on his shoulder, his arm coming up around her as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

The horse nosed him. The Doctor and the Priestess moved away, having spotted a set of white, French double doors. The Priestess opened them outward.

"So, this is where you came from, eh, horsey?" the Doctor murmured.

The Doctor and the Priestess walked out onto a grassy courtyard, once again in Versailles. They saw a familiar figure, smiled and walked to a low wall with a pillar and an urn on top. Two ladies laughed, walking arm in arm through the garden. As they spoke, the Doctor and the Priestess watched Reinette with interest.

"Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked!"

Reinette suddenly turned around as though she had spotted something out of the corner of her eye. The Priestess ducked down behind the pillar just in time, pulling the Doctor along with her.

"Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateneux is ill and close to death," Catherine said, innocently, waggling her eyebrows at Reinette, meaningfully.

Reinette's attention having sufficiently wandered from their appearance, the Doctor and the Priestess moved from behind the wall and leant against the wall, observing Reinette with barely disguised affection.

"Yes," Reinette said, soberly. "I am devastated." Her mask then cracked as she laughed.

"Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable," Catherine giggled.

"The King will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?" Catherine raised an eyebrow.

Reinette blinked. "He is the King. And I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him," she said, sweetly.

Catherine laughed and Reinette couldn't help but turn back, convinced she was being watched, the Doctor and the Priestess ducking behind the pill all over again, determined that Reinette not catch a glimpse of them until they were ready to reveal themselves.

Catherine frowned, seeing Reinette's distracted attention. "Is something wrong, my dear?" she asked, worriedly.

Reinette shook her head, freeing herself of whatever had captured her mind. "Not wrong, no."

The Doctor and the Priestess straightened up a little. After a pause, the ladies linked their arms and walked away. The Doctor and the Priestess straightened up fully and leant on the wall again.

"Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions," Catherine confessed.

"Every woman in Paris shares them," Reinette pointed out, nonplussed by the admission.

"You know, of course, that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?" Catherine murmured.

The sound of their voices faded away from the Doctor's and the Priestess' heightened senses as the two women walked away from where they were.

* * *

Mickey and Rose walked down a corridor, clutching onto their makeshift guns, the cameras watching them.

"Maybe it wasn't a real heart," Mickey said, weakly.

"Course it was a real heart." Rose rolled her eyes at Mickey's naiveté.

Mickey looked around with disbelief. "Is this like normal for you? Is this an average day?" he asked.

Rose shrugged. "Life with the Doctor, Mickey, no more average days," she said, sweetly.

They stopped by a window with a view into a luxurious eighteenth-century room.

"It's France again. We can see France," Mickey said, stunned.

Rose's brow furrowed. "I think we're looking through a mirror."

The room doors opened, and a well-dressed man entered with tow servants accompanying him.

Mickey's eyes widened at the arrogant way the man seemed pour into his every step. "Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?"

The Doctor and the Priestess appeared behind them.

"He is the King of France," the Priestess replied, drawing a shaky gasp and a look of fear from Mickey, much to her amusement, which could be seen by the wicked smile on her face.

Rose glared, fiercely, at the Doctor and the Priestess. While she and Mickey had been exploring the ship, the Doctor and the Priestess had been out on a romantic stroll, a thought that made her burn with jealousy and anger.

"Where the hell have you two been?" she scowled.

The Doctor shrugged, oblivious to her tone. The Priestess narrowed at the way Rose seemed to talk to her and she stiffened, moving closer to the Doctor, possessively. She was sick and tired of her visions telling her how to live her life. She may not be able to tell Rose exactly who the Doctor was to her, but that didn't mean she had to offer Rose the Doctor on a silver platter.

The Doctor was hers and no jealous, blonde chit from twenty-first century Earth was about to take him away from her. She, who had loved the Doctor since the age of eight. She, who had Bonded with him at the young age of forty-seven. She, who had given him three children and had brought him to four beautiful grandchildren.

The Doctor belonged to the Priestess.

Annika belonged to Theta.

That was something written in stone and burnt into her mind; it was written in time and space and she wouldn't let anyone change that, not some blonde child who had the gall to tear open the TARDIS and take the Time Vortex into her body.

The Doctor and the Priestess watched the king as he stood before the mirror.

"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat... picked a fight with a clockwork man..." the Doctor trailed off.

The horse whinnied from around the corner, drawing Rose's and Mickey's attention.

"And we also met a horse," the Priestess finished for the Doctor.

The horse trotted into their view.

Mickey stared at it for a second, absolutely shocked. "What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" he asked, confused.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at Mickey's stupidity. "Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective," he chided.

"To be fair, this is _you_ we are talking about, Doctor," the Priestess said, playfully. "If anyone in the universe would be able to find pre-Revolutionary France on a spaceship, it would be you. However, a horse…"

"Ha!" Mickey crowed and threw an arm across the Priestess' shoulders, much to her surprise and amusement. "I like this one." He grinned at her and she smiled, hesitantly, back.

The Doctor simply gritted his teeth at the way Mickey _the Idiot_ 's hand was touching the Priestess' shoulder.

The Priestess gestured to the window. "These windows are all over the spaceship. One on every deck. They should be gateways to the history, but…" the Priestess pointed at Reinette as she entered the room on the other side of the window. "The time window is deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman."

The Doctor nodded. "A spaceship from the fifty-first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?" he asked, curiously.

Rose frowned. "Who is she?" she asked with thinly-veiled jealousy.

"Her name is Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, who is also known to her friends as Reinette. She is one of the most accomplished woman who has ever lived," the Priestess said, proudly, having a small sliver of pleasure towards the woman who would become the unofficial ruler of France for over two decades.

Rose narrowed her eyes at the blonde woman. "So, has she got plans of being the Queen, then?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress."

Rose's eyes dawned with realization and slightly vicious humour. "Oh, I get it. Camilla."

Rose and Mickey laughed at the reference while the Priestess remained confused.

As the King left, the Doctor and the Priestess watched Reinette like a hawk.

"I think this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace... even her own title: Madame de Pompadour," the Doctor explained, his eyes never leaving Reinette as he wondered what made her so important that the clockwork droids were hunting her.

Reinette stood in front of the mirror, preening herself.

"Queen must have loved her…" Rose muttered.

"Oh, she did." The Priestess nodded, not picking up on Rose's sarcasm. "They were very good friends."

Mickey's eyes widened. "The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" he said, incredulously.

The Doctor shrugged. "France. It's a different planet."

The Priestess looked at the Doctor, confused. "No, it is not. France is a different country, not a different planet," she said, slowly.

The Doctor chuckled. "It's just a figure of speech, 'Tess. It means that they do things very differently in France."

"Oh." The Priestess blushed at her own naiveté.

Rose felt victorious, suddenly. She may not be as smart or as worldly as the Priestess, but at least she didn't need to have every figure of speech or expression explained to her as if she had been living under a rock for the past two hundred years. At least, she had that going for her.

But it quickly fell flat in her mind. The Priestess had spent the last thirty years, captured and tortured: it wasn't really her fault that she didn't understand some of what Rose and Mickey and the Doctor said. She wasn't actually around to learn what they meant. She suddenly felt petty for thinking that. There were lines that she shouldn't cross and she had almost crossed one. She was just so sick of being second-best in the Doctor's eyes when just a few months ago he was saying things like 'I'm so glad I met you' or 'I could save the world but lose you'. That had to mean that he was in love with her too, right? Or, at the most, he had _some_ feelings for her. That couldn't all evaporate because the Priestess was there. She just had to remind the Doctor how great they were together.

"Hush," the Priestess hissed, the sound of ticking coming to the forefront of her hearing.

The Doctor nodded, indicating to her that he had heard the sound as well. He and the Priestess looked in the mirror and they spotted that the face on the clock on the mantelpiece had been shattered.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Hope you all liked the chapter. We got some more jealous Rose who hasn't yet made a proper, jealous comment straight to the Doctor's or the Priestess' face. I'm sure we'll get that soon enough. I thought it would be interesting to have the Doctor _and_ the Priestess to form that connection with Reinette because I'm sick of writing her as the bad guy. I mean, her kissing the Doctor was sexual assault, but you can't really blame her for falling for the Doctor when pretty much everyone else has done it too. I think people only hate this episode because they think that Rose is the Doctor's one true love and Reinette was just in the way of that. I mean, real men check out other women when their with their significant others, Rose is hardly faithful, it's kind of a double standard to expect that the Doctor shouldn't _ever_ look at another woman. I just get really sick of the hate this episode gets.

I think Reinette kissed the Priestess because she was just as fascinated about her as the Doctor and it's not like lesbianism was completely gone from history. I'm fairly sure that a lot of women would have undertake sexual exploration in that time period, and I think Reinette was just a little curious.

And there are the beginnings of a Mickey/Priestess relationship in this chapter. We'll have to see what happens between them.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _the stargate time traveller_ : You definitely did not patronise me at all! And you're completely correct about the Doctor, at least in my opinion!

 _Bladewolf101_ : Unfortunately not.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much!

 _mybrainexploded_ : Rose is definitely going to find out, but it was going to happen at the end of season 4, unfortunately, during _Journey's End._ And don't worry, the Priestess will be airing a lot of shit out with the Doctor in this fic.


	11. TGITF: Snow White Project

**A/N** : Here's the second part of _The Girl in the Fireplace_. I wonder how will Rose react in this chapter to the closeness between the Doctor and the Priestess and whether there will be a confrontation between the Priestess and Rose in this chapter.

 **Warnings** : Nothing to be worried about in this chapter.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 11**

 **The Girl in the Fireplace: Snow White Project**

" _Hush," the Priestess hissed, the sound of ticking coming to the forefront of her hearing._

 _The Doctor nodded, indicating to her that he had heard the sound as well. He and the Priestess looked in the mirror and they spotted that the face on the clock on the mantelpiece had been shattered._

The Doctor grabbed the fire extinguisher from Mickey and he and the Priestess swung the mirror around so that they could step back into Reinette's time.

"Hello, Reinette," the Priestess said, cheerfully. "Has time not flown?"

Reinette's eyes widened and she took a step back, the skirts of her dress swishing about her feet.

"Fireplace man!" Reinette exclaimed. "Fireplace woman!"

The Doctor stepped past Reinette, while the Priestess took a hold of the younger woman and pulled away from danger. The Doctor sprayed the droid with the fire extinguisher until it was immobile and threw the extinguisher back to Mickey. The droid started to click and whirr loudly.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked, curiously, peering at the strange, mechanical creature.

"It is switching itself back on," the Priestess said, grimly. "Its software is able to melt the ice."

"And then what?" Mickey frowned.

"Then it will kill everyone in this room," the Priestess said, lightly.

The clockwork droid's arm lashed out towards the Doctor's throat and the Priestess gritted her teeth, grabbing him by the back of his coat and pulling him back until was standing on the other side of Reinette.

"Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" the Doctor muttered to the Priestess, who nodded. He turned back to the clockwork droid. "Who are you? Identify yourself." He said, sharply.

The droid cocked its head but refused to answer the Doctor's question.

The Priestess frowned and turned to Reinette. "Order it to answer him." She told him.

"Why should it listen to me?" Reinette looked up at her with confusion.

"It obeyed your commands when you were a child. Let us see if this is a phenomenon that continues with age." The Priestess shrugged.

Reinette's brow furrowed, purposefully, and she narrowed her eyes, her lips pursing in disapproval as she looked on the creature that had been the star of so many of her nightmares.

"Answer their questions. Answer any and all questions put to you," she said, determinedly.

The droid lowered its arm. "I am repair droid seven," the droid replied.

"So what happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage," the Doctor asked, curiously.

"Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure."

"The ship has not moved an inch in over a year. What is preventing you from repairing the ship much quicker?" the Priestess asked, carefully.

"We did not have the parts," the droid replied in a monotone

Mickey had to laugh at that. "Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts."

"What's happened to the crew, where are they?" the Doctor asked.

"We did not have the parts."

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" the Doctor said, persistently.

"We did not have the parts."

"Fifty people don't just disappear! Where-?" the Doctor paused and exchanged a horrified look with the Priestess.

The Priestess nodded, grimly, her face tightening minutely. "The droids did not have the equipment to repair the ship, therefore they used the crew as an alternative," she said, darkly.

Mickey frowned in confusion. "The crew?"

Rose bit her lip, stamping down the irrational jealousy that burned in her stomach when she saw the way the Doctor and the Priestess couldn't take their eyes off each other, as if they could read each others' mind.

"We found a camera with an eye in it... and there was a heart... wired in to machinery." Rose swallowed hard, reiterating what she had seen.

"It was just what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" the Doctor said, nodding.

"Someone cooking..." Rose said, quietly, her eyes dawning with realisation.

"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque," the Doctor deadpanned.

Reinette looked slightly sick and the Priestess wrapped a comforting arm around her waist.

"But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows, that takes colossal energy. Why come here, you could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to eighteenth century France? Why?" the Doctor's brow furrowed.

"One more part is required," the droid replied and jerked its head towards Reinette.

The Doctor, Rose and Mickey stared at her, while the Priestess kept her head, determinedly, forward, facing the droid.

The Priestess dragged her teeth over her lip. "Then why have you not taken it? You have access to Reinette for years," she said, pointedly.

"She is incomplete."

"What... so, that's the plan then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's 'done yet'?" the Doctor asked, sharply.

"Why her?" Rose asked, suddenly, a part of her addressing the question to the Doctor as well as the droid.

The Doctor turned at her, surprised at the abruptness of the question that Rose addressed. The Priestess frowned, wondering whether Rose was asking the droid why they chose Reinette as their final spare part or whether she was asking the Doctor why the Priestess was the one that had the opportunity and the privilege to stay by the Doctor's side.

"You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?" Rose asked, sharply.

"We are the same," the droid answered.

Reinette's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with anger, her jaw dropping, indignantly. "We are not the same, we are, in no sense, the same!" she shrieked.

"We are the same."

Reinette bit down on her teeth, angrily, and advanced on the droid. "Get out of here! Get out of here this instance!" she snapped.

"Reinette, no," the Priestess called out, shaking her head, knowing that the droid would obey the human's order.

The droid activated a teleport and disappeared in a flash of light.

"It's back on the ship. 'Tess, you're with me. Rose, take Mickey and Arthur, get after it. Follow it, don't approach it, just watch what it does," the Doctor ordered, sharply.

Rose's brow furrowed. "Arthur?" she demanded.

"Good name for a horse," the Doctor muttered under his breath, making the Priestess shake her head.

Rose rolled her eyes, exasperatedly. "No, you're not keeping the horse!" she said, annoyed.

"I let you keep Mickey! Now go, go, go!" the Doctor said, urgently.

Mickey and Rose ran back through the mirror portal, but not before Rose shot the Priestess a scathing look which the older woman ignored. The Doctor closed it behind them and turned back to face Reinette.

"Reinette, you're going to have to trust us. We need to find out what they're looking for, there's only one way I can do that. Won't hurt a bit." The Doctor said, reassuringly.

Reinette nodded her assent and the Doctor placed his fingers on her temples and closed his eyes, his mind reaching out and searching hers, Reinette also closing hers out of reflex.

Reinette bit back a gasp after feeling the strange sensation in her head. She paused. "Fireplace man... you are inside my mind," she said, slowly.

"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here," the Doctor murmured.

* * *

Mickey and Rose strode through a corridor of the ship, Mickey giving a short laugh as they did so.

"So, that Doctor, eh?" Mickey waggled his eyebrows, suggestively.

"What are you talking about?" Rose frowned, tensing.

"Well! Madame de Pompadour. The Priestess. Sarah Jane Smith. Cleopatra." Mickey smirked.

Rose stopped in her tracks and rounded on him, feeling her stomach churn with anger. She didn't understand why every single person around them seemed to think that there was something going on between the Doctor and the Priestess.

"There's nothing between the Doctor and the Priestess. They're just friends," Rose said, stubbornly.

Mickey rolled his eyes, amazed at Rose's ability to be wilfully ignorant. "Yeah, you keep thinking that." He started to walk ahead of them.

"I'm telling you, they're just friends," Rose called out.

Mickey sighed and stopped. He turned back around and raised an eyebrow.

A droid appeared behind him and Rose's eyes widened.

"Mickey!" Rose shrieked in warning.

It wrapped its metallic arm around his neck just as another came up behind Rose, grabbing her before she can use the fire extinguisher on the one that was holding Mickey. Part of its arm extended, with two vicious needles on the end, which were aimed at Rose's neck, the one behind Mickey doing the same. The needles were pushed into breakable skin, and Mickey and Rose slumped, unconscious, to the floor.

* * *

The Doctor and Reinette were still linked at the minds, while the Priestess watched over them from a careful distance, being able to see everything the Doctor was seeing through their bond.

"You are in my memories. You walk among them," Reinette murmured in surprise. "You both do."

"If there's anything you don't want us to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look." His face contorted into an expression of discomfort. "Ooh… actually... there's a door just there," he muttered.

Reinette opened her eyes and grinned slyly, winking over at the Priestess, who simply watched the Doctor's embarrassment with amusement. Seeing the girl that they had watched since she was a little girl in those sorts of positions with men was definitely something that would give the Doctor a hernia. She remembered what it was like breaking the secret to the Doctor that their daughter was thinking of Bonding herself to one of the other Time Lords in the Academy. The Doctor had sulked for days and threatened to lock their daughter in her room if she even _thought_ about going ahead with the Bonding Rite.

The Doctor shifted in his seat and the Priestess' lips quirked up at the corners. "You might want to clo-ooh. Actually, several." He grimaced.

"To walk among the memories of another living soul... do you ever get used to this?" Reinette asked, curiously.

"We do not do this very often, Reinette," the Priestess said, softly. "Looking into another's mind is a deeply intimate and personal gesture. We would not have proposed this had there been a better choice."

"How can you resist?" Reinette shook her head.

"What age are you?" the Doctor asked, suddenly.

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising." Reinette smirked, playfully.

"No, not my question… theirs. You're twenty-three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough," the Doctor mused. Reinette flinched. "Sorry," he said, quickly and apologetically. "You might find old memories reawakening. Side effect."

Reinette's lip curled in sadness. "Oh, such a lonely childhood..." she whispered.

The Priestess straightened, able to see Reinette walking into the Doctor's mind instead. A brief flash of jealousy trembled through her body. It was her privilege, as his Bondmate, to be the only creature in the universe to look into the Doctor's mind. To know that this human girl was doing so made her feel uncomfortable, despite how much she liked her.

"It'll pass. Stay with me," the Doctor said, determinedly, not being able to see the same things that the Priestess could see.

"Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone." Reinette chanced a look at the Priestess, whose face was completely devoid of emotion. "

The Doctor frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life-" His eyes snapped open. "When did you start calling me 'Doctor'?" he asked, slowly.

"Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now. But…" Reinette pursed her lips in concentration, her blue eyes staring into the Doctor's brown ones intently. "Perhaps, you were never _truly_ alone, were you? _She_ was always there." She started to smile. "It's amazing, you've truly been in love with her since you were a little boy." Her smile fell. "And then you lost her." She pursed her lips and her eyes snapped open, suddenly pained. "How did you _ever_ bear it?"

The Doctor stepped away from her, his fists clenching at her side. "How did you do that?" he asked, shaking his head, looking at the Priestess, warily.

"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction..." Reinette pointed out. She bit her lip and stared at him. "You should tell her that you are concerned for her. That you are worried that her feelings are changing towards you," she said, quietly, making sure that the Priestess couldn't hear what she was saying.

The Doctor was stock still as he stared down at the woman who had managed to tear down all of his mental defences and voice his darkest fear straight to his face. He was concerned. He was worried by the way their relationship had changed. The Priestess was colder, almost like a statue, as if she was afraid that if she exposed too much of herself to him, he would hurt her. They had fought more ever since he had regenerated than they had centuries. He was scared. He was scared that she would leave him. He was scared that she would see the rest of the universe and think him small and leave on her own. He was scared that she was going off him. She would realise that she was entirely too good for him and walk away. But that couldn't happen. He was selfish. He couldn't let Annika go for anything in the world.

"Oh, Doctor," Reinette said, softly and reassuringly, taking a step towards him. "My lonely Doctor. Dance with me." She looked at the Priestess, who remained impassive. "That is, if your wife does not mind."

"I can't," the Doctor said, warningly, shaking his head. He looked at the Priestess, determinedly. " _I won't_." He swore.

"Dance with me," Reinette said, adamantly.

The Doctor shook his head. "This is the night you dance with the King." He said, pointedly.

Reinette shrugged. "Then first, I shall make him jealous."

"It really is fine with me, Doctor," the Priestess said, slowly.

"I can't."

"Doctor... Priestess…" Reinette swallowed hard. "Doctor who? Priestess of what?" She stared at them for a moment. "It's more than just a secret, isn't it?" she said, knowingly.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "What did you see?"

"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance. And perhaps that lonely little boy will not keep a certain lonely little girl waiting."

She smiled and reached out her hands, beckoning both the Doctor and the Priestess to take them, and when they did, she led them out of her chambers.

* * *

The King had his hand around her waist as he led her around the ballroom through the motions of the dance. The Priestess looked up at him, being able to admire his looks, but feeling no fluttering in her stomach, quickening of her heartsbeats or dizziness in her head, which she received whenever she looked upon the Doctor. The man in question had Reinette in his arms, but was busy looking over the top of her blonde head and fiercely glaring at the King.

"The man dancing with Reinette… who is he?" the King asked, curiously.

"My husband." The Priestess smiled up at him.

"I believe Reinette is attempting to make me jealous by dancing with your husband." The King chuckled. He looked down at her, searchingly. "I hope you will not mind my attempt to best her at her own game."

The Priestess frowned in confusion and looked up at him, questioningly. "I am afraid I do not understanding what you are-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the King had swooped down and pressed her lips against hers. She tensed, unable to form a response to his actions. His lips felt odd, as if he claimed to be a master at a skill he was merely acceptable at. His lips tasted unwashed, as if he had not brushed his teeth in weeks, and as it was the eighteenth century, there was a likely chance it had been weeks since the King had managed to clean his teeth.

She was resisting the urge to gag.

Just as she was about to push him away and slap him across the face for daring to accost her in that manner, she found herself being pulled out of the King's hold and rushed across the ballroom and out the majestic doors. She felt the Doctor press her against the wall of an alcove and she swallowed hard, her eyes wide.

"Okay, game over," the Doctor growled. "I thought I could do it, but I can't." He confessed. "I can't see another bloke's hands all over you and be calm about it."

She patted the hand that was currently gripping her shoulder, soothingly. "It is fine, beloved."

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you, you know that," he murmured, passionately.

"And I love you." The Priestess slid one of her hands to cup his cheeks, her thumb stroking gently over his cheekbone.

The Doctor sighed and his hands ghosted down her body and wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his chest. "It's just, we've been fighting a lot, and I-"

"None of that is of a concern to me," the Priestess said, honestly. "I would not care if we brought the planets down around with the force of our arguments." She whispered. "The love I bear for you will _never_ change." She swore.

"I can't lose you. I could fight with every single being in this universe, 'Nikki, but I can't fight with you. _I can't lose you_ ," the Doctor confessed, his head dipping down and burrowing into the graceful curve of her neck. "I can't. _I won't_." He vowed.

Her hand slid up his spine and curled into the thick locks of his hair, holding him against her neck. "You will not," she whispered. "I will be here as long as you wish it."

He pulled away, an expression of shock gracing his face. "Why would you think that I wouldn't want you by my side, always?" he whispered.

A sad, sweet smile curled on the Priestess' lips. "It is nothing." She shook his head, placing her finger on the Doctor's lips. "I swear, it is merely a silly worry that has been bothering me. But it is _my_ worry, and nothing that you have caused," she said, determinedly.

"I want you to talk to me," the Doctor said, earnestly. "I want you to come to me with everything in your life. I will never turn you away. 'Tess," _Annika_. "You are the single most important person in my existence. I will _never_ let you go." He vowed.

"I know." The Priestess nodded.

And she did.

If there was one thing that she knew, it was the Doctor loved her more than the boundaries of the universe could express. Of course, that didn't exactly stop those niggling doubts from burrowing deep into her mind.

His head leaned down and his laps slanted over hers, his hands curling around her back to bring her close. One of her hands slid up to weave into his hair, her long nails scraping against his scalp, as his lips moved, determinedly, over hers. She nipped at his lips, hesitantly, and he pressed her up against the wall of the alcove, purposefully. With one hand draped around his neck and the other tugging at his hair, making him groan into her mouth, she hiked her legs up his body and wrapped them around his waist, shameless in the way she started to rock against him.

* * *

Rose was beginning to stir, her eyes opening blearily. Her eyes snapped open and she was suddenly aware of a loud ticking in the room she was in. Her eyes slowly focused on one of the clockwork droids, staring down at her.

Rose hitched in a sharp breath, her eyes widening in fear. "What's going on?" she whispered. "Doctor?" she called out, hopefully.

In her unconscious state, she had been manacled onto some sort of operating table, which had been tilted at a sharp angle. She could see Mickey was manacled onto another at the other side of the room.

"Rose?" Mickey called out, terrified. "They're gonna chop us up. Just like the crew, they're gonna chop us up and stick us all over their stupid spaceship. And where's the Doctor? Where's the precious Doctor now? He's been gone for flipping hours, that's where he is!" he snapped.

One of the droids stepped before Rose. "You are compatible," it intoned.

Rose's eyes widened and she licked her dry lips, her eyes shifting wildly as she thought of a way to stall the droids for more time.

"Well... you... you might wanna think about that," she stammered. "You really, really might because... me and Mickey... we didn't come here alone, oh no! And trust me, you wouldn't wanna mess with our designated driver." She said, confidently.

"And his friend!" Mickey called out as the droid thrust a particularly sharp and lethal looking knife in front of his face, staring at it apprehensively.

"Ever heard of the Daleks? Remember them? They had a name for our friend. They had myths about him, and a name. They called him the..."

In the distance, there was the sound of banging and someone singing drunkenly.

" _I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night..._ " the Doctor sang, his pitch off.

Rose blinked. "They called him the- they called him the-the-" she stuttered.

The Doctor staggered into the room, dancing with the Priestess in some exaggerated form of the waltz, wearing a pair of sunglasses and a tie around his head. The Priestess pursed her lips in disapproval and rolled her eyes and he twirled her around the room, his hand comforting against the small of her back. From what Mickey could see from his vantage point, the Priestess was responsible for most of the Doctor standing somewhat steady on his feet by the grip she had on his waist.

" _And still have begged for moooore_... _I could've spread my wings and done a thou-_ have you met the French?" the Doctor asked, suddenly, finally realising that Rose and Mickey were in the room. Mickey looked bemused and the Priestess winked at him, letting him know that the Doctor's intoxication was nothing more than a ruse. "My... _God_ , they know how to party," he laughed, as the Priestess straightened him.

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm," Rose said, sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at the way the Doctor was wrapped around the Priestess.

"Oh, you sound just like your mother," The Doctor said, distastefully.

"What've you been doing? Where've you been?!" Rose snapped, glaring at both of them.

"Well... among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early," the Doctor mused.

The Priestess gritted her teeth and shook her head. "Sometimes I truly wonder about the state of your _sanity_ ," she hissed.

The Doctor grinned at her. _Why? Would it hurt your reputation to be Bonded to a madman?_

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _I believe that ship has long since passed._ She said, dryly. _After being Bonded to you for over a thousand years, I do not believe that any more damage could be done to my reputation._

 _Oi! Watch it,_ the Doctor warned, playfully.

 _Or what_? the Priestess challenged.

 _Or I'll punish you_. The Doctor waggled his eyebrows, mentally.

The Priestess sent him waves of lust. _Anytime you wish, you may turn me over your knee,_ she purred.

Rose laid back on the stretcher, clearly exasperated.

"Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before!" the Doctor said, excitedly. He leaned over her and would have fallen right on top of her had the Priestess not managed to catch him in time. "Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are _good_ ," he said, sincerely. He spotted the droids, his eyes widening. "Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant." He cried out, absolutely delighted. "It's you! You're my favourite, you are, you are the best! Do you know why? 'Cause you're so _thick_. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania." He paused, starting to walk away. "And so's your dad." He said, as an afterthought. "Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" He started to snigger into the Priestess' shoulder, an action which made Rose's cheek blotch red with fury. "Her milometer. They wanna know how old she is. Know why?"

"Because this ship is thirty-seven years old," the Priestess answered, quickly.

The Doctor frowned down at her, put out. "Hey, you ruined it!" he complained.

The Priestess rounded on him, fixing him with an exasperated glare. "Then you should not have been beating around the bush," she said through gritted teeth.

"Fine." The Doctor pouted. He turned back to the others. "And they think that when Reinette is thirty-seven, when she's 'complete', then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it?" he smirked, proudly. He stared at the droids, mockingly. "Hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason – God knows what – only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do." He shook his head.

"The brain is compatible."

"Compatible?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, approaching the droid slowly. "If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine."

He removed the droid's mask and poured the contents of the glass into the head of the clockwork droid. He replaced the mask and patted it on the head, condescendingly. The droid wound down and Rose leaned back, breathing a sigh in relief.

"Multigrain anti-oil." The Priestess nodded, soberly.

"If it moves, it doesn't," the Doctor said.

A droid from the corner of the room began to advance on, but the Doctor quickly deactivated it pulling down a nearby lever.

"Right, you two, that's enough lying about..." the Doctor muttered.

He and the Priestess flashed their sonic devices at Rose and Mickey, releasing them from the manacles, and they slid down the tables onto the floor.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a meaningful look and the Priestess nodded in agreement.

"Time we got the rest of the ship turned off."

Mickey stared at the fallen droids, uneasily. "Are those things safe?"

The Priestess clucked her tongue and moved over to the Doctor, undying the tie around his head and retying it around his neck, as he pushed the sunglasses up, the Doctor smiling the entire time she worked her ministrations.

"Yep. Safe. Safe and thick. Way I like them. Okay, all the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down." He felt his pockets. "Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs?" He looked around for them. "I had them a minute ago."

"You were using them as castanets," the Priestess said, pointedly.

"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" Rose asked, breaking into the Doctor's and the Priestess' quasi-domestic moment.

"With the amount of damage done to the circuits of the ship, it would be very unlikely for them to find the right century in the first place," the Priestess commented, stubbornly refusing to move away from the Doctor, despite Rose's growing unease.

The Doctor nodded. "Trial and error after that." He attempted to operate the computer on the ship. "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" he muttered, furiously.

There was an ominous pinging sound.

"What's that?" Rose looked around, hesitantly.

"I don't know... incoming message?" the Doctor suggested.

"From who?" Mickey asked, incredulously.

"Report from the field... one of them must still be out there with Reinette! That's why I can't close the windows, there's an override!" the Doctor exclaimed.

Behind him, one of the clockwork droids sprang to life with a whirring sound, making Rose gasp. The droid expelled the 'wine' the Doctor poured into its mechanics over the Doctor's shoe.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. She cocked her head. "Well, that was a bit clever."

The rest of the droids sprang to life, filling the room with the sound of their ticking.

"Right... many things about this are not good," the Doctor commented.

The pinging sounded again.

"Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" the Doctor asked, curiously.

"She is complete. It begins."

And, all of the droids teleported out.

Rose looked around, sceptically. "What's happening?"

The Priestess swallowed hard. "One of them must have found the correct time window."

The Doctor nodded, grimly. "And now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head."

* * *

Madame de Pompadour stood by the window, looking up at the sky, her face thoughtful as she gazed upon the stars. A shadow passed over the shaft of light spilling into the room through the doorway as someone slowly approached behind her. At the sound of the footsteps, Reinette spun on her feet. Disturbed, she checked the clock face, her eyes widening when she saw a figure reflected in its glass.

"Madame de Pompadour," Rose said, quietly. Reinette gasped in shock, rearing back. "Please, don't scream or anything, we haven't got a lot of time." She said, soberly.

Rose took a seat in front of Reinette, who preferred to stand.

"I've come to warn you that they'll be here in five years," Rose said, slowly.

Reinette frowned. "Five years?"

"Some time after your thirty-seventh birthday. I, um... I can't give you an exact date. It's a bit random. But they're coming. It's gonna happen. In a way, for us, it's already happening. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain. The Doctor does this better." Rose shrugged.

Reinette raised an eyebrow. "Then be exact, and I will be attentive."

"There isn't time." Rose shook her head, apologetically.

"There are five years," Reinette cried out, incredulously.

"For you. I haven't got five minutes," Rose said, grimly.

She may not like the other woman who had managed to snatch the Doctor's attention so easily, but she could appreciate the terror and dread that the woman must currently be experiencing.

"Then also be concise," Reinette said, sharply, taking a seat opposite Rose, ready to listen.

"Erm... there's say, um... a-a... a vessel. A ship. A sort of sky ship. And it's full of... well, you. Different bits of your life in different rooms, all jumbled up. I told you it was complicated, sorry," Rose said, apologetically.

Reinette licked her lips, attempting to understand everything that Rose had just told her. "There is a vessel in your world... where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that they may step from one to the other without increase of age... while I, weary traveller... must always take the slower path?" she raised an eyebrow.

Rose cracked a smile, not being able to help herself despite her distaste for the woman in front of her. "He was right about you..."

"So, in five years these creatures will return. What can be done?" Reinette asked, carefully.

"The Doctor," Rose gritted her teeth. "And the Priestess, they say keep them talking. They're kind of programmed to respond to you now. You won't be able to stop them, but you might be able to delay them a bit," she explained.

Reinette frowned. "Until?"

"Until the Doctor and the Priestess can get there," Rose said, finally.

"They're coming, then?" Reinette asked, hesitantly.

Rose pursed her lips. "He promises."

"And she?" Reinette wondered.

"She too." Rose nodded, stiffly.

Reinette gazed at Rose, knowingly. "You do not care for the Priestess, do you?" she murmured.

Rose paled. "What do you mean?" she asked, slowly.

"You go out of your way to remove her from the conversation," Reinette murmured. "You talk as though the Doctor is the only one on the other side of that fireplace." She nodded. "You are jealous. You worry that the Priestess' existence in the Doctor's life makes you less important than her. You have feelings stronger than friendship for the Doctor and you are worried that the Doctor is in love with the Priestess." She raised an eyebrow.

Rose swallowed hard, feeling her cheeks start to flush under Reinette's intent gaze. "How did you know?"

Reinette smiled, sadly. "I am in love with the King of France. Yet, I can never be more than his mistress," she murmured.

"I do love him," Rose confessed.

"The Doctor is in love with the Priestess," Reinette said, sharply, feeling protective over the woman who had wrapped her arms around her as a little girl and soothed and protected her from the monsters, much like a mother would a child.

Then, she remembered the crippling pain she had felt through the Doctor's memories when he had heard of his children's deaths. The Priestess was a woman who had lost all of her children. That was something that Reinette herself could sympathise with. She had lost a boy years ago. Perhaps, the Priestess had found some peace in protecting a younger Reinette from the monsters that stalked her when she was unable to protect her own children from the monsters that pursued them.

Rose shook her head, stubbornly. "No, I don't believe that. She's just like him, they're the last of their kind. He just cares about her. They're just friends. He's not in love with her," she snarled.

Reinette shook her head at Rose's vehement denial. She bit her lip and looked out of the window again.

"They cannot... make their promises in person?" Reinette said, hesitantly.

Rose shook her head, waving away all that had been discussed before. "They'll be there when you need them. That's the way it's gotta be."

"It's the way it's always been. The monsters and the Time Lords. It seems you cannot have one without the other," Reinette mused.

Rose had to laugh at that. "Tell me about it." She paused. "The thing is... you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. None of this was ever supposed to happen to you."

"Supposed to happen?" Reinette rounded on her, angrily. "What does that mean? It happened, child. And I would not have it any other way. One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of angels," she snapped.

She stood with her back to Rose, facing the fireplace.

"Rose? Rose?" Rose could hear Mickey calling out for her.

Reinette and Rose turned. Mickey appeared from behind a tapestry just outside the room.

"Rose!" Mickey called out and Rose rushed out to meet him. "The time window when she's thirty-seven. We found it. Right under our noses," he said, cheerfully.

He stopped as Reinette paused. She looked at the window behind the tapestry and made a beeline for it.

Rose's eyes widened, seeing what she was about to do. "No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will go mad-"

But Reinette had already walked through the window onto the spaceship. She looked at her surroundings, lost and confused, and evidently slightly scared. Rose and Mickey could do nothing but watch her and see how she reacted.

Reinette swallowed hard. "So, this is their world," she murmured.

They heard screaming and chaos in the distance and they all jumped.

"What was that?" Reinette asked, fearfully.

"The time window, the Doctor fixed an audio link," Mickey muttered to Rose.

"Those screams... is that my future?" Reinette asked, as if she were afraid of the answer.

"Yeah... I'm sorry," Rose said, sincerely.

Reinette sighed. "Then I must take the slower path."

Suddenly, she could hear her own voice echoing through the corridors of the spaceship.

" _Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time."_

Reinette looked disturbed and she blinked, furiously. "That's my voice," she whispered.

"Rose, come on," Mickey said, urgently. "We've gotta go. There's-there's a problem."

"Give me a moment," Rose said, shoving at Mickey.

Mickey rushed away, but Rose remained where she stood and approached Reinette, concerned.

"Are you okay?" Reinette asked, gently.

"No. I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Rose? The Doctor is worth the monsters," Reinette whispered.

Rose nodded, grimly. Reinette walked back through the tapestry into her time, without looking back once.

" _Doctor! Priestess!"_

After a brief moment of reflection, Rose headed off in the same direction as Mickey had rushed off.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were working, frantically, as Rose joined them and Mickey at the time window that led into the time in which the clockwork droids would attack Reinette on her thirty-seventh year.

"You found it, then?" Rose asked, quickly.

"They knew we were coming. They blocked it off," the Doctor muttered.

Rose looked through the time window into the ballroom. "I don't get it. How come they got in there?"

"They teleported, you saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short-range teleports will do the trick," the Doctor explained, quickly.

"Well, we'll go in the TARDIS!" Rose offered.

"No," the Priestess said, sharply. Rose glared at her, as if the Priestess' life mission was to put down every single one of Rose's ideas. "We cannot use the TARDIS. We are part of the timeline now."

"Well, can't we just smash through it?" Mickey asked, helplessly.

"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck," the Doctor growled.

"We don't have a truck," Mickey said, pointedly.

"I know we don't have a truck!" the Doctor shouted, running his hands through his hair.

"Well, we've gotta try something!" Rose shrieked.

"No, smash the glass, smash the time window, they'd be no way back," the Doctor mused, staring at the Priestess, whose mind was working a mile a minute to figure out a way to save Reinette.

"Doctor," the Priestess said, suddenly. She gestured to the horse. "I believe we have our answer."

The Priestess and the Doctor exchanged a grim look.

* * *

"Can everyone just calm down? Please," Reinette called out. "Such a commotion. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that is Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And we are French." She turned to the droids. "I have made a decision. And my decision is 'no', I shall not be going with you today. I have seen your world, and I have no desire to set foot there again." She said, coldly.

"We do not require your feet."

Two droids came up on either side of Reinette and pushed her to her knees. They pointed their maiming instruments at her neck. The 'chief' droid approached her and also pointed his weapon at her. Reinette looked up at it, defiantly.

"You think I fear you." Reinette tipped her head up. "But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured," She lowered her voice to a whisper. "So will yours."

The sound of a horse whinnying was heard in the distance. Reinette, the droids, and the guests all looked around for the source of the sound. It was followed by the sound of galloping hooves, and after a few moments, a horse leapt through the glass of a large mirror on the wall, the Doctor and the Priestess on his back. The guests shrieked in surprise and Reinette's mouth dropped open, her eyes widening as she took in the image of the couple on the horse. The Doctor winked as he trotted past her, the Priestess smiling, sweetly, at the woman. The horse came to a halt and the Doctor dropped down. The Doctor gripped the Priestess by the waist and pulled her off the horse, his hands curling around her hips.

"Madame de Pompadour." The Doctor grinned. "You look younger every day."

Reinette smiled and blushed.

The King frowned. "What the hell is going on?" he snapped, his eyes narrowing at the strange woman in trousers, remembering that he had danced with her the night of the Yew-Tree Ball.

"Oh," Reinette's eyes widened. "This is my lover, the King of France."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Well, we're the Lord and Lady of Time," he said, smugly. He approached the chief droid, while the Priestess rushed over to Reinette, pulling the fear-stricken woman to her feet. "And I'm here to fix the clock."

He removed the mask of the droid, revealing the clockwork underneath, which elicited a gasp from the crowd. The droid pointed its weapon at the Doctor, threateningly.

"Forget it." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "It's over. For you and for me." He glanced up at the broken mirror, seeing only a brick wall behind it. "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand..." he smirked.

The droid cocked its head to look at the mirror.

* * *

On the spaceship, there were only shards of glass and the interior of the spaceship where the time window into the ballroom used to be. Rose stood before it, completely shell-shocked by what the Doctor and the Priestess had just done.

"What happened? Where did the time window go? How're they gonna get back?" Mickey asked, desperately.

Rose stood absolutely stock-still, choosing not to answer any of his questions. All she could do was stare at the remains of the time window, a single tear running down her cheek.

There was only one thing that was currently going through her head at the moment.

 _He took her with him. And he left me._

* * *

The droid repeatedly tried to use its teleport, but to no avail. It turned to the Doctor.

"The link with the ship is broken," the Priestess said, coldly, keeping a steadying arm around Reinette's waist. "There is no method in which you could return. You do not have the parts."

The Doctor smirked. "How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up." He turned around and winked at the Priestess, who simply shook her head in exasperation at his ill-timed and, frankly, not funny joke.

And finally, the clockwork droids wound down and the droid went dead. The other droids followed suit and slumped forwards. One of them fell backwards causing the clockwork to smash all over the floor into pieces. The guests started to whisper amongst one another as the Doctor walked over to Reinette and held out a hand to her.

"You all right?" he asked, quietly.

Reinette nodded and took his hand and the Priestess', gratefully.

"What happened to them?" Reinette asked, after exhaling in relief.

"They have stopped. Their purpose has been removed," the Priestess said, simply.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Reinette stood in the middle of all of the destruction, hand in hand.

* * *

Rose had not moved from her position.

"We can't fly the TARDIS without him. How's he gonna get back?" Mickey asked.

Rose raised her head and looked up at the stars overhead.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess stood by the window, both of them holding a glass of wine and looking up at those same stars. Reinette came up behind them, also holding a glass of wine, and she followed their gaze.

"You know all their names, don't you? I saw that in your mind. The name of every star," Reinette murmured. She looked over at the Priestess. "You helped him memorise them, didn't you?"

The Doctor cracked a smile. "What's in a name? Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything."

"Like, 'The Doctor' or 'The Priestess'," Reinette said, pointedly.

"Or 'Madame de Pompadour'," the Priestess retorted.

Reinette laughed. "I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you both have, I think."

The Doctor shrugged. "From time to time."

"In saving me, you trapped yourself." Reinette looked between the Doctor and the Priestess. "Did you know that would happen?" she asked, curiously.

"Mm. Pretty much." The Doctor nodded.

Reinette raised an eyebrow. "Yet, still you came," she said, amazed.

"Yes, we did, did we not?" The Priestess smiled a secretive smile.

"Catch us doing that again," the Doctor joked.

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" Reinette asked, worriedly.

The Priestess shook her head. "When the mirror broke, the shock will have severed all the links with the ship," she explained.

"There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid. Wherever there was a time window. I'll-I'll, er... pay for any damage," the Doctor said, awkwardly. Reinette laughed. The Doctor looked at the Priestess, sceptically. "Um... oh, that's a thought, I'm gonna need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?"

"So, here you are. My lonely angels. Stuck on the slow path, with me," Reinette murmured. "A part of me wishes to be happy."

"The slow path," the Priestess murmured. "It has been so very long since I have lived the slow path." She mused.

"Yep. The slow path." The Doctor grinned and held up his glass. "Here's to the slow path."

Reinette and the Priestess laughed and all three clinked their wine glasses together and sipped their wine.

"It's a pity... I think I would've enjoyed the slow path," Reinette said, thoughtfully.

"Well, we're not going anywhere," The Doctor said, pointedly.

"Oh, aren't you?" Reinette smiled, secretively. She set down her wine. She held out her hands. "Take my hand," she urged.

The Doctor and the Priestess took her hands and she led him out of the room.

* * *

The three entered Reinette's bedroom and they stood in the doorway.

"It's not a copy. It's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail," Reinette explained.

"The fireplace..." the Doctor breathed, walking slowly forward. "The fireplace from your bedroom."

The Priestess looked at Reinette as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "When did you do this?" she asked, curiously.

"Many years ago. In the hope that a door once opened, may someday be opened again. One never quite knows when one needs one's doctor or holy woman." The three smiled at each other. "It appears undamaged, do you think it will still work?"

"You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it. Which means it was off-line when the mirror broke. That's what saved it. But..."

"The link is basically physical, and it is still physically here," the Priestess finished.

Reinette watched them approach the fireplace with dawning happiness, remaining quiet but with a hint of sadness in her eyes as she knew what would happen next.

The Doctor tapped on the woodwork of the fireplace. "Which might just mean, if we're lucky... if we're very, very, very, very, very, very lucky..." He felt around for the spot, and finally found it. He beamed and grinned over at the Priestess, who smiled, sweetly, back at him. "Aha!"

"What?" Reinette murmured.

"Loose connection," the Priestess explained.

The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver to the 'loose connection'. "Need to get a couple in!" He held his hand out for the Priestess to take. "My lady, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not, kind sir," the Priestess laughed and took his hand.

The Doctor grinned back at Reinette. "Wish us luck!"

Reinette shook her head, sadly, knowing that this would be the last time she would see the Doctor and the Priestess.

"No…"

The Doctor's grin faded from his face, and the Priestess almost stepped away from the fireplace, intent of comforting the young woman, but it was too late, the fireplace had already started to revolve.

As soon as they were on the other side, the Doctor and the Priestess crouched down and called through the flames.

"Madame de Pompadour!" the Priestess called out and she crouched on the other side. "Do you still wish to see the stars?"

A smile curled on Reinette's lips "More than anything."

"Give us two minutes," the Doctor urged. "Pack a bag!"

Reinette frowned. "Am I going somewhere?" she asked, sceptically.

"Go to the window. Pick a star. Any star." The Doctor winked.

The Doctor and the Priestess jumped to their feet and dashed off in the direction of the TARDIS. Reinette rushed to the window and looked up at the night sky, breathless with anticipation.

* * *

The Doctor had Rose in a tight hug.

"How long did you wait?" the Doctor asked, curiously.

Rose's throat was tight with relief. "Five and a half hours!" she cried out, giddily.

The Doctor released her. "Right, always wait five and a half hours."

Mickey wrapped his arms around the Priestess. "Good to see ya, Priestess," he said, happily.

The Priestess chuckled and slid her arms around her waist, almost squealing when he lifted her up in the air. "It is very nice to see you as well, Mickey," she said, sweetly, pulling away from him.

The Doctor grimaced at the way Mickey's arms were wrapped around the Priestess. He moved to break them up, but the Priestess had already released the younger man from her arms. He made to hug Mickey, but changed his mind and shook his hand instead.

"Where've you been?" Rose shook her head, feeling cross at the way the Doctor chose to wrap his arm around the Priestess' waist and pull her into his side

"Explain later. Into the TARDIS, be with you in a sec," the Doctor said, hurriedly, yanking the Priestess back to the fireplace.

Mickey went into the TARDIS without hesitation, but Rose watched the Doctor and the Priestess go back, an expression of jealousy on her face.

"Reinette?" the Doctor called out. He knelt before the flames and tried to peer through.

"Are you there, Reinette?" the Priestess asked, worriedly, her hand curving across the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor pursed his lips and triggered the fireplace again, it revolving again. The Doctor and the Priestess found themselves back in the palace, except the room was completely pitch-dark. They paused, looked at each other in confusion, then wandered out into the halls.

"Reinette?" the Priestess called out in trepidation.

The hallways were completely devoid of life except for King Louis, who was standing by the window, looking outside.

"Oh." The Doctor's eyes widened. "Hello."

"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six," King Louis said, soberly.

"Ah." The Doctor nodded in understanding.

The King stared at the Doctor and the Priestess and took a few deliberate steps towards them.

"Good Lord... she was right," the King said, awestruck. "She said you never looked a day older." The Doctor raised his eyebrows as a slow, horrifying realisation began to dawn in the Priestess' eyes. "So many years since I saw you last, yet not a day of it on your face." He walked slowly over to a sideboard and opened a drawer, taking out a letter. "She spoke of you both many times." He said, mournfully.

The Doctor's smile began to fade from his face as he too came to the same realisation that the Priestess had.

"Often wished you'd visit again," the King murmured.

He held the letter out to the Doctor, who took it and stared intently at it. The King was distracted by the thrash of a whip, a neighing from outside and then the sound of hooves. He went back to the window.

"There she goes," the King whispered. Through the rain, the King watched the hearse carry Reinette's coffin away through the gates of the palace. "Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only forty-three when she died."

The Doctor and the Priestess walked slowly up behind the King to watch the hearse, faces solemn with a pain that they couldn't quite hide. The Priestess curled her hand around his bicep, leaning her head on his shoulder as the grief threatened to overwhelm her.

"Too young... too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard," the King mused, tears glistening in his eyes. He turned to the Doctor, motioning to the letter clutched in his hands. "What does she say?" He asked, curiously.

Without a word and without looking away from the window, the Doctor silently tucked the letter inside his jacket.

"Of course." The King nodded. "Quite right."

After a few more moments, the Doctor and the Priestess turned and walked away.

* * *

The Doctor closed the door of the TARDIS, wearily, behind him and the Priestess and the two walked slowly up to the console.

"Why her?" Rose asked, suddenly, standing with Mickey at the console. She was sure her question had a double meaning. She wanted – no, needed – to know whether the Priestess meant more to the Doctor than she did and she supposed she wanted to know why the clockwork droids had gone after Madame de Pompadour in the beginning. "Why did they think they could fix the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"

"The ship." All three turned to look at the Priestess, curiously. "The ship was named the S.S. Madame de Pompadour. I believe they thought she would be the perfect fit," the Priestess said, grimly, her face devoid of emotion.

The Doctor fiddled with a few controls on the console. "The TARDIS can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble," he mused, tapping something on the computer, acting for the world as if everything is okay.

Rose knew that there was something different about him. She hesitated. "Are you all right?" she asked, gently. She turned to the Priestess and frowned, seeing the pain in her eyes. She may not like the Priestess all that much, but she didn't want the woman to hurt and she could see that Madame de Pompadour's death had hurt the Priestess deeply. "What about you? You okay, Priestess?" she murmured.

The Priestess smiled, sadly. "We… are always all right," she breathed.

The Doctor smiled, briefly, and fiddled with the controls again. Rose still watched them both carefully, aware that they were keeping something to himself, and feeling slightly envious that the Priestess was the Doctor's choice of secret-keeper. Mickey pursed his lips, realising that the Doctor and the Priestess would prefer to be alone, and tugged on Rose's arm.

"Come on, Rose. It's time you showed me around the rest of this place."

Rose was hesitant to leave the Doctor, and glanced over her shoulder as Mickey led her from the console room. The Doctor continued to pretend to work at the computer for a few moments, and then glanced around to make sure they are gone. Then he slowly took the letter out of his pocket and held it out to the Priestess, who joined him, pressing her hip against his, as she leaned against him for comfort. His hands came around to wrap around her waist and their minds slotted together, as she opened the letter, both of them needing the physical and the mental contact to get through the words Reinette had left for them.

 _My Dear Doctor and Priestess,_

 _The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that the two of you and I are unlikely to meet again. But I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, Doctor, and know that all things are possible. I also know that you fear for your Priestess and I beg of you to tell her your concerns. You will be all the more stronger for it and your marriage will only thrive. She does love you dearly. Hurry though, my friends. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak. God speed, my lonely angels._

The Doctor and the Priestess, having finished reading, tucked the letter away again and turned back to the console, both of them so very heavy of heart. The Priestess leaned her head against his bicep and the Doctor swooped down, grazing her hair with his lips. They took one last look at the image of the fireplace on the monitor, which was still lit with merrily dancing flames. The Priestess reached down and pressed a few keys, and the flames went out, leaving the fireplace shrouded in darkness. They stood there watching it for a few more moments before looking up at the rotor.

* * *

"Mind if I join you?" Mickey called out, seeing the Priestess alone in the console room, staring up at the time rotor as she fiddled with the console. "I've got beer." He motioned to the two bottles in his hands.

"Of course." The Priestess graced him with a smile, taking one of the bottles from him.

The two of them sat and drank in silence, Mickey looking at the Priestess, while the Priestess looked at the TARDIS.

"They should not underestimate you the way they do," the Priestess said, suddenly. "From what I have seen, you are truly brilliant."

Mickey shook his head, heartened by the sincere compliment. "Nah, I'm just the tag-along." He shrugged, self-deprecatingly.

The Priestess paused. "I do not understand what that means," she said, confusedly.

Mickey chuckled. "It means that I'm just… along for the ride, I suppose."

The Priestess frowned and cocked her head, staring at Mickey with interest. "Why do you believe that?" She shook her head. "The Doctor would not have agreed to bring you along on the TARDIS had he not thought you were worthy," she said, pointedly.

Mickey shook his head. "I mean, I wanted to come along, but sometimes I think I'm mad to be here." He laughed, hollowly. "I thought I'd come on board, I'd show Rose that I was just as good as the Doctor. But that's never going to happen," he whispered. "I'll never be as good as him."

The Priestess remained silent, allowing him to voice to his frustrations and insecurities to her.

She licked her lips. "Would you believe that I understand how you feel?" He looked at her, startled. "I can very much relate to the feeling of being second choice," she explained.

"Really?" Mickey raised an eyebrow, curiously.

The Priestess nodded, emphatically. "The Doctor and I were very close. Ever since we were young, we were the best of friends. When the Doctor first left our planet, he left me behind to travel around the universe," she explained. "Sometimes, he would return, bringing along all of the human strays he found," She gestured to him. "But I would always feel hurt when he did so."

"Why?" Mickey frowned.

"Because… I felt as though, in his eyes, I was not good enough to travel with the Doctor around the universe, whereas all of these humans _were_ ," the Priestess said, wistfully. "So, you see, I can relate what you feel towards the Doctor and Rose, because I have been in your position before, where in fact, the Doctor was my Rose."

"You and the Doctor… there's something between you two, isn't there?" Mickey said, knowingly. "I've seen the way he looks at you and you look at him. I even tried to explain it to Rose, but she wouldn't listen to me. He's in love with you, and I'm guessing that you're in love with him."

A sad, sweet smile curled on the Priestess' lips. "Would you believe me if I told you that it was complicated?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I can believe that." Mickey nodded. "That's why I won't force you to tell me. You can tell me whenever you want to tell me." He waved his beer bottle at her.

The Priestess smiled at him. "I feel as though you will do incredible things in your life, Mickey Smith, and I am glad to call you a friend. Never believe that you have to live up to the Doctor's image. I can assure that under that larger-than-life image the Doctor portrays to everyone, he is still very much a scared, little boy," she said, reassuringly. She grinned at him. "Would you like to see the stars, Mickey?"

Mickey grinned back. "Sure. Lead the way," he urged.

She and Mickey strode down the ramp and the Priestess threw open the doors, both of them sinking down to the edge of the TARDIS and letting their legs hang off the edge.

"To feeling like second choice." Mickey raised his beer bottle in the air.

The Priestess nodded, grimly. "To feeling like second choice."

They clinked their bottles together.

* * *

That night, the Priestess slept, curled in her bed. The Doctor had pulled her so tight against him during the night that she thought with amusement that he might swallow her whole. Her nightgown had ridden up her thighs and had bunched up at her waist, leaving her long, lean legs free to entwine with his, one of his legs shoved in between hers and the other thrown over her thigh. His arms were thrown around her waist and his hand was splayed against the cool skin under her belly. His hand had reached out and started stroking the underside of her breast. His face was buried in her thick, dark locks, loose and wavy down her back, and she could hear him humming, as she twisted in his embrace, choosing to face him.

His eyes opened, blearily, at the sudden action and looked down at her, questioningly.

"What's wrong?" he slurred, his arms tightening around her waist.

"Nothing," she whispered, stroking a gentle hand down the side of his face. "Sleep, beloved." She crooned, her hands weaving through his hair.

The Doctor hummed, contentedly. "You know I can't sleep unless you sleep. So, what's wrong?"

"I love you," the Priestess whispered.

The Doctor leaned down and kissed the smooth, bare skin of her shoulder. "You are my life," he swore, his hands stroking up and down her back.

His lips moved against her neck, skimming against the soft flesh. His hand reached down and hiked her leg around his waist, bringing their hips flush against each other. The Priestess' head fell against the bed with a gasp as his lips nipped at her neck.

"Doctor," she moaned.

"I love you," he murmured, kissing her neck once more. He leaned on his elbow, swooping down and slanting his mouth over hers. "I love you." He leaned up and kissed her eyelids and forehead. "I love you."

His hands slid her nightgown up to her waist and spread her legs, rocking against her as she whimpered.

"I love you."

His lips moved down her body, leaving lines of heat criss-crossing her body.

The Priestess arched her back and smiled into the stars, his mind burning every single emotion he felt for her into her mind, her lips parting from the all-encompassing emotion that clouded her eyes.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : I hope you guys liked this chapter. I had to write a somewhat reconciliation between the Doctor and the Priestess, but the problems are still there between them. I had Reinette kind of urge the Doctor to tell the Priestess his issues with her attitude since he regenerated and they had two make-up scenes in this chapter, with lots of fluff and almost smut. But it will get a lot worse before it gets a lot better, unfortunately. Because they really don't have a healthy relationship and I hope that showed in the talk that Mickey and the Priestess had And I'm writing a growing relationship between the Priestess and Mickey because I feel as though they have a lot in common and it's going to come out in the next two episodes as well. I hope you liked the chat in this chapter though, because I really do like the idea of a deepening relationship, with the Priestess being Mickey's champion of sorts with the Doctor and Rose.

Let the Doctor have Rose, the Priestess can have Mickey ;)

I thought it would be interesting to characterise the relationship between the Priestess and the Doctor and Reinette as somewhat parent-childlike. I think, after the Priestess has lost all of her children, she would kind of see Reinette in the way she would a daughter or a little sister, the same with the Doctor, and I had Reinette mirror those feelings for them as well. Especially when she got all protective over the Priestess and put Rose in her place.

I hope you liked the edition of jealous!Rose in this chapter. She really doesn't like feeling second best to the Priestess and she's showing it. I hope you guys liked the way I had Reinette put her in her place. The thing I found in season 2 was that when Rose was particularly jealous, she went out of her way to demean the woman who was the focus of her jealous. She called Trisha Delaney in _Boom Town_ "a bit big" as though that was a reason why she wasn't good enough for Mickey. And in _Rise of the Cybermen_ , she called Lucky "thick", as if there was no way she could be telling the truth. If I do have a confrontation coming soon between the Priestess and Rose, the Priestess will not be taking any crap from Rose. The Priestess is entirely too wilful and kind of undiplomatic to take any jealous bullshit.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review.

 **Reviews** :

 _lautaro94_ : Yeah, definitely, but there wouldn't be a story if characters would talk to each other.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _Karen0610_ : Thank you!


	12. Rise of the Cybermen: I, Robot

**A/N** : So, here's the first chapter for Rise of the Cybermen. This begins all of that parallel universe talk, but unfortunately, there are no Time Lords in the parallel universe, so we won't be seeing a parallel version of the Priestess.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Enough said.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Rise of the Cybermen: I, Robot**

The Doctor and Rose were slumped in chairs next to each other, while Mickey and the Priestess stood, the Doctor's knee jutting into the inside of the Priestess' thighs, her warmth flitting through him every time their legs brushed. The Priestess had the heels of her palms pressed against the edge of the console, standing side-by-side with Mickey, both of them with their faces contorted with confusion at the muddled story the Doctor and Rose were reciting to them, an adventure from the days before the Doctor had stumbled into a museum and found his long-lost Bondmate and only other survivor of his race.

The Doctor turned to Rose, an avid enthusiasm burning in his brown eyes. "And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes? Do you remember? The way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!" He grinned.

Rose giggled, madly, finally happy to be included in something that she could call her own – without the Priestess' added presence. "I thought I was gonna get frazzled!"

"Yeah! One minute she's standing there, and the next minute – rawwwh!"

The Doctor and Rose mimicked fire spewing from their mouths, collapsing into a mass of giggles that Mickey and the Priestess simply stared at, the former nodding and smiling in bewilderment while the latter rolled her eyes and turned to face the newest human member of their little motley crew.

"Yeah... where-where was that, then? What happened?" Mickey asked, pointedly, expecting more of the story to come out.

The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "Oh, it was on this um... uh, this uh... planet thing, asteroid. It's a long story, you had to be there." He looked at the Priestess, guiltily, but her eyes didn't flicker any sort of anger or resentment.

"Dear, you can take your hand off the button now," the Priestess murmured to Mickey, shooting the Doctor a viciously scathing look.

"But the Doctor told me to..." Mickey trailed off.

The Doctor blinked. "When was that...?" he asked.

"Thirty minutes ago," the Priestess said, sharply, her dark eyes piercing into the Doctor's with admonishment.

"Um. You can let go now," the Doctor said, sheepishly, avoiding the Priestess' dark look.

Mickey ground his teeth and lifted his hand off the console, while Rose sniggered, something which the Priestess watched with irritation.

 _Is Mickey not Rose's friend? Why is she treating him so cavalierly?_ the Priestess sniffed. _And you are no better. Why invite the boy onto our ship if you were going to treat him like some second-class citizen?_

 _Oh, we're just joking, love. No need to get all bent out of shape over it._

The Priestess hid her scowl at his dismissive tone, gritting her teeth.

What was it about this blonde human that made her Bondmate forget himself, over and over again?

Mickey narrowed his eyes at the Doctor. "Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?" he asked, carefully.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Ten minutes? Twenty? ...Twenty-nine?" he said, grimacing.

"You just forgot me!" Mickey cried out, indignantly.

The Priestess nodded, fervently, in support. She didn't know why it was, but something inside of her felt incredibly protective over the young man beside her. She related with him on an emotional level – which was something she was unaccustomed to – considering she found most emotions quite tedious – except for her love for the Doctor and her children, of course. But there was something in Mickey that matched the loneliness inside of her. It was a wretched thing – to be madly in love with someone whose avid admiration and enthusiasm for time and space surpassed any consideration to those waiting at home for them, someone who picked up strays and brought them home and expected the people who loved them, loyally and constantly, to just ignore that they were so obviously not enough. It was quite a unique situation to be in and she and Mickey shared that fate – she was supposed it was binding in a way.

"No, no, no!" the Doctor said, quickly, shooting the Priestess a helpless look, to which she simply raised an eyebrow, telling him that he would get no help from her. "I was just-I was just... I was calibrating," he floundered. "I was just... no, I know exactly what I'm doing." He said, firmly, almost believing himself.

Suddenly, the TARDIS console exploded, violently, behind them, sparks and flames flying everywhere and illuminating the dimly-lit console room. The Priestess rocked forward on her heels and hurriedly grasped a strut with both her hands before she was knocked to the floor from the impact. In a split second, the Priestess had straightened and flashed in front of the console, her fingers flying, rapidly, over the controls, when she was joined by the Doctor, who frantically tried to help her. They flew around each other, the Priestess slipping around his extended arms and the Doctor reaching over her, moving like a well-oiled machine.

"What's happened?!" Rose shrieked, grasping onto the wall for her life.

"The time vortex is gone," the Priestess said, coldly. "Which should be impossible – the time vortex cannot just _disappear_." She hissed in confusion, shooting the Doctor a worried look, the pitter-patter of her hearts beating fading slightly when the Doctor's fingers brushed, lightly, over the Doctor, calmed by the firm, reassuring look in his brown eyes.

The Doctor's eyes flashed. "Brace yourself! We're gonna crash!" he shouted, warningly.

He wrapped an arm around the Priestess' waist and bodily carried over to the nearest strut along with him, looping their arms together around the metal, both of them cringing forwards in anticipation, to which Rose gritted her teeth and remained silent, even though her skin crawled to see the Doctor and the Priestess practically surging inside of each other.

 _They look like they're meant to be._ _No,_ Rose thought, firmly. _I'm not giving up on the Doctor. I don't care if I have to play dirty. I love him, so I have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to make him see that we'd be perfect together. I don't care about the Priestess – she's just going to have to fight for him too. But I'm the one that's going to be with the Doctor at the end._

The TARDIS landed with a crash and the Doctor, the Priestess were thrown backwards, onto the floor, with a smack, all of them groaning in discomfort. Gas masks fell from a hatch in the ceiling, much like in an airplane, and the lights dimmed into the TARDIS until they were nonexistent, the entire console room bathed in darkness.

The Doctor's arms found their way around the Priestess' waist like second nature, concern that she had been injured in the crash the first thought occurring to him the moment the world stopped spinning. The Priestess briefly leaned into his embrace, her warmth rushing through his body at the graze of her fingertips against his abdomen and flooding his mind with the warm reds and browns of her concern and love for him, and his face warred with the desire to keep her safe in his arms and his awareness that there were two humans moaning and groaning on the floor beside them – call him twisted, but he had always been one to be selfish with his love for the Priestess – _his Annika_. Her love was only for him, no one was ever allowed to partake in the sharp wildfire that was the Priestess, until their children came along and he found himself being a little less selfish with her love and instead welcoming how his children stole a part of her heart – for there was nothing more beautiful than seeing the Priestess with their children – the children they had loved – _still loved_ – more than anything in the whole universe.

"You two all right?" the Doctor asked, grimacing as the pain shot up his spine, when he hoisted himself and the Priestess to their feet. "Rose… Mickey?"

Mickey groaned from the other side of the console, stumbling back into a standing position. "I'm fine. I'm okay, sorry."

"I'm good too," Rose muttered, sliding to her feet, and shooting a sharp look at the Priestess and the Doctor's joined hands, her gaze drifting upwards to the Priestess' unyielding brown eyes, staring her down, as if thinking to force her to let go of the Doctor's hand with her eyes alone.

The Priestess' hand tightened around the Doctor's.

 _I am a Time Lady, girl. I have centuries on you. Do not think you can cow me with your eyes._

The Priestess' eyes shifted to the console, having gotten bored with the childish silent challenge that had occurred between her and Rose, her heart clenching at the blank, pale blue colour of the rotor. _No_. The Doctor, conveniently having missed the interchange between the two women, followed her gaze, his hand squeezing hers in comfort.

"She's dead," the Doctor said, dully.

The Priestess' jaw tensed as she buried a flinch.

A clicking sound filled the air as the engines cooled down, smoke rising from the console.

"The TARDIS is dead," the Doctor whispered.

"Enough," the Priestess said, hoarsely, her voice catching in her throat as grief and horror swelled up inside her.

She and the Doctor strode, slowly, around the console.

"You can fix it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "There's nothing to fix. She's perished."

"The very last TARDIS in the entire universe and _she is extinct_ ," the Priestess hissed, her hand curling around the edge of the console as her heart dropped into her stomach, her hand splaying against the underside of her belly, her nails digging into her skin.

The Doctor's lips pursed and wrapped an arm around the Priestess' shoulders, bringing her into his embrace, squeezing gently.

Rose grimaced at the easy action between the two aliens. Her stomach curdled with jealousy and she cleared her throat, drawing their attention away from the blank TARDIS to herself, her arms turning solid with confidence at the Doctor's change in direction.

"We can get help, yeah?" she said, hesitantly, her eyes going wide with apprehension that she hoped was attractive to the Doctor.

The Doctor snorted, derisively. "Where from?"

Rose shrugged. "Well, we've landed. We've gotta be somewhere," she said, pointedly.

The Priestess shook her head. "We fell out of the Time Vortex, through the void, into nothingness," she said, determinedly.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "We're in some sort of no-place... the silent realm... the lost dimension..." he trailed off.

"Otherwise known as London!" Mickey called out from the doorway, grinning to himself.

He chuckled and stepped out of the door, ignoring the pale, worried looks on the Time Lords' faces and the confused look on Rose's. The Priestess was the first one out of the door after him, much to the Doctor's annoyance – _how can I protect her if she just keeps throwing herself into danger like that? We don't know what's on the outside of the TARDIS?_. The Doctor gritted his teeth and rushed after the Priestess out of the TARDIS and into whatever lay on the other side, his pace only slowing when space was practically non-existent between them and his knuckles brushed against her ribcage with every step they took – _we've always been whole together._ He fought desperately the urge to grab her hand and pull her back behind him, knowing that she definitely would not appreciate the gesture and may even smack him for it – _she'd never let me treat her like some breakable doll or even a human_ , he thought with aching pride for his Bondmate. Rose frowned to herself, her stomach churning with displeasure at the Doctor only having eyes for the Priestess and not even sparing her a second glance, but she nonetheless followed the three out the TARDIS doors.

Outside was a seemingly perfect likeness of the 21st century London that they had all just left before entering the TARDIS. The ground looked the same. The sky looked the same. The buildings looked the same. However, when the Priestess turned around, a strange tingling began at the base of her wrist, travelling up her arms, slowly, like small waves of electricity building up on her skin. She grimaced, something unpleasant clenching in her stomach, and she dug her nails into her palm, a strange throbbing beginning in the back of her eye.

 _This is not our world._

And she knew it deep in her bones.

The Priestess ran her tongue over her lower lip, uneasily, and her eyes shot over to the Doctor, whose gaze snapped to hers immediately as he sensed her requiring his attention.

 _This is not the Earth we just left behind. Neither is this the universe we just left behind. If this were truly our world, the TARDIS should not have died,_ she said, pointedly. _She would have been greatly damaged by breaching the Void in order to reach this other universe. I believe that is why she suddenly lost all of her power. I can think of no other explanations._

 _Good point_ , the Doctor said, grimly. _So, where are we, then?_

 _This… we should not be able to do this. We should not be here. We must leave. Soon, Theta. I do not want to be here any longer. I want to leave,_ the Priestess said, fervently. _Please, may we leave._

The Doctor itched to comfort her physically, but, knowing that it would draw unwanted attention and queries from their companions, settled with sending her soothing waves of red and brown and burnt gold that had her shoulders losing some of their tension.

 _Don't worry, 'Nika,_ he said, gently. _We'll leave as soon as we can get the TARDIS up and running. But the first thing is to make sure that Rose and Mickey don't go wandering off. A parallel universe can be a very interesting thing to humans. And I don't want to chance any accidents. It's bad enough as it is that we're here in the first place. If they screwed things up… well, we don't need another headache._

"London, England, Earth. Hold on..." Mickey drawled.

He jumped down off the low wall he had been sitting on and picked a newspaper out of a dustbin, looking at the front page intently.

"First of February this year, not exactly far-flung, is it?" Mickey snorted.

Rose jumped down and looked over his shoulder. She looked around. "So, this is London," she said, sceptically.

"Yep." Mickey nodded.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Your city," he said, slowly.

"That's the one."

"Just as we left it?" the Priestess asked.

"Bang on."

"And that includes the zeppelins?" the Doctor and the Priestess asked at the same time.

Rose and Mickey looked up at the two aliens, and then followed their gazes. They turned around and blinked, staring at the zeppelins that flooded the sky with awe.

The Priestess sniffed. "I may have to reconsider my opinions on the intelligence of humans if they are able to build and mass-market zeppelins – airships that have not been mass produced since World War II, I might add – in the span of two months," she said, dryly.

"What the hell...?" Mickey muttered.

"That's beautiful," Rose murmured.

"Okay. So, it's London with a big international zeppelin festival," Mickey said, uncertainly.

The Priestess shook her head. "This is not your world."

Mickey's brow furrowed in confusion. "But if the date's the same..." he trailed off. His eyes widened in realisation. "... it's parallel, right?" His eyes lit up and the Priestess hid a smile touched with pride. "Am I right? Like a parallel Earth where they've got Zeppelins, am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" He grinned at them, although his gaze finally rested on the Priestess.

The Priestess nodded.

"Must be," the Doctor said, slowly.

"So, a parallel world where…" Rose trailed off, her attention caught by something on the wall.

Mickey rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You see it on films. Like an alternative to our world were everything's the same but a little bit different, like... I dunno… traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected..."

"And he's still alive..." Rose said, softly.

She stared at a poster plastered against the wall, her father's face splayed across it, as the man held a bottle in his hand.

"A parallel world and my dad's still alive..." Rose said, hoarsely.

 _Oh, no_ , the Priestess moaned. _This is where it began the last time. Under no circumstances is that girl to see the parallel version of her father. Do you understand me? I will not have a repeat of what happened last time. For all we know, this girl may hide this man somewhere on the TARDIS and take him back to our universe._

 _Rose wouldn't be stupid enough to do that a second time_ , the Doctor argued. _You're being too hard on her, Nika._

The Priestess ground down on her teeth, as her mouth twisted in anger and hurt. Her arms crossed over her chest and she shuffled, awkwardly, as the Doctor turned away from her and followed after Rose. She hid the flinch that threatened to unfold on her face. _What is it about this girl that makes you turn away from me so easily? Disregard what I say like I am some child. You never used to be like this,_ she thought, mournfully.

 _Why is she so much more important to you than I am? I am your Bondmate, not her._

Spite rang in her thoughts and if she were a different woman – one who had not seen what she had seen, lived the life she had lived – perhaps tears would have come to her eyes at the blatant indifference and disrespect the one she loved was showing towards her. But she struggled to comprehend what was happening around her. She had never been jealous of any of the companions the Doctor had brought upon the TARDIS. She had listened to all of his stories of his silly little humans with a fond smile on her face and a dry comment on her lips. She had never felt insecure or worried someone would take her place in the Doctor's existence. She had never needed to. She had mixed feelings about his travels, there was no doubt in that. But that had stemmed from her fear and hurt that the Doctor truly was happier without her. That his life was more fulfilled when she was not a part of it. That she was more invested in their Bonding than he was. That years spent in the stars and galaxies had made him disenchanted with what was between them. That she would always choose him, but he did not always choose her.

And that was still something that she was struggling to come to terms with.

Perhaps those had only been sporadic thoughts she had over the centuries because she had never actually travelled with the Doctor, and only coming face-to-face with a few of his companions. Perhaps those thoughts only grew stronger because she was forced to witness the Doctor's growing emotions towards Rose as they all spent more and more time together. It worried her, especially knowing that Rose herself held deep feelings – as the girl believed at least – towards the Doctor. Perhaps it was because she feared that the Doctor's growing scepticism in her words meant that his feelings for Rose were of the same nature the human had towards him. After all, she could see the way the Doctor's eyes softened every time he gazed at Rose and it made her wonder if there was something else behind that look – something that she couldn't see yet but that would break her hearts indefinitely should she learn the truth.

Perhaps it was because the Doctor and her had been parted in such a definitive way after the Time War ended and she had felt that loss, keenly. They had both changed after what had happened. What they had done during that war, it followed them like a never-ending shadow that they desperately wanted to escape but never could. He was no longer the same Theta Sigma she had desperately forced to study the night before an exam. And she was no longer the same Annika he had dragged out of the library in the middle of the night so that they could lie down on red grass and watch the stars.

But she still loved him.

Why did it feel as though his feelings towards her had changed in that aspect?

Perhaps she felt so anxious about Rose and the Doctor's growing affection for the human girl because something else was slowly becoming the truth in her eyes.

That dark, deep, dangerous thought had stirred in her hearts more than once over the centuries she had been alive coiled around her heart once more and bled through.

 _She loved the Doctor more than he loved her_.

The Doctor and Mickey followed Rose, as she made towards the poster, the Priestess choosing to stand back and see how it would play out between Rose and the Doctor.

"Don't look at it, Rose. Don't even think about it. This is not your world," the Doctor warned, his voice harsh with admonishment.

 _Nikki's right. This is way too much temptation for her. She'll do something stupid like what she did with her father in our world. I can't take the risk again. Not if it means something happening to Nikki. She deserves better from me. I'm supposed to protect her. Not let some human girl rip her apart every time her grief gets the better of her. Nikki_ _ **died**_ _the last time I allowed Rose a lapse in self-control. If something happens to her because of Rose and her father here… I won't even think it. I can't lose her._

 _I won't lose her._

"But he's my dad... and..." Rose muttered.

Her fingers grazed the poster and the picture of Pete sprang to life for a moment, a hologram message implanted into the paper. The hologram said 'trust me on this', provocatively, judging by the awe and longing on Rose's face, and winked, giving the thumbs up, to which Rose stepped back, flinching.

"Oh, that's weird," Rose whispered. "But he's real!" she said, tearily.

"Trust me on this," the poster repeated.

"He's a success!" Rose exclaimed with glee. "He was always planning these daft little schemes, health-food drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he did it," she breathed.

The Priestess squared her shoulders and walked over to the others. What did it matter whether the Doctor was slowly slipping away from her grasp with every day that passed on this Omega-forsaken rock? She had a duty that came before her own personal relationships and worries. She had a duty to prevent time from being abused. It was her duty as a Time Lady as well as one she had accepted when she had her first vision. When she had stood in front of the Untempered Schism and been named the _Dream Child_ by the Time Lords, she knew her duty was greater than anyone that came before her – Time Lord or otherwise. And she would not let some silly blonde girl with self-control the size of an insect make her fail in her duty.

"No," the Priestess said, sharply.

All three turned to look at her, the Doctor's eyes betraying his fear at what she was about to say.

 _What? Worried I am about to upset your human?_ She thought, spitefully, although she didn't dare let it breach the link between them.

"You cannot see him," she said, warningly. "This is not your world and _he_ is not your father." She said, coldly. "Remember that. You cannot see him."

Rose stared at her with such fury that someone else may have quailed in fear, but the Priestess had faced much more dangerous foes than some human girl with an inferiority complex that she could not be moved.

Her eyes travelled to the Doctor and he was taken aback at the ice in her eyes. He pursed his lips and nodded, slightly, at her. He turned to Rose and suddenly grasped her by the shoulders, his grip tightening as he felt her gaze wander. He bent slightly to stare into her eyes, something which made an uncomfortable itch rise on the Priestess' skin.

"Rose, if you've ever trusted me, then listen to me now," the Doctor said, urgently, gritting his teeth when Rose glanced back at the poster. _Nika was right._ "Stop looking at it!" He snapped and Rose reluctantly met the Doctor's eyes again. "Your father's dead." He said, slowly, not wanting to bruise Rose's feelings but finding no other option on how to make her understand. "He died when you were six months old. That is not your Pete. That is A Pete. For all we know, he's got his own Jackie… his own Rose. His own daughter who is someone else, but not _you_."

Rose's eyes began to wander back to the poster all over again, but she tried her hardest to stop herself, the temptation warring in her eyes as plain as day.

"You can't see him. Not ever," the Doctor murmured.

Rose swallowed hard, pain flitting across her face, and she gave a subtle nod that she would acquiesce to their demands. The Priestess let out a breath of relief, a small part of her irritated that Rose would listen to the Doctor and not her when they had both given her the same warning. Mickey touched Rose's shoulder, comfortingly, while the poster said 'trust me on this' over and over again, ominously.

The Priestess scowled and flashed her sonic screwdriver at the poster until the hologram switched off and dissolved back into paper.

 _Rose does not need those words ringing in her head._

* * *

Mickey entered the pitch-black TARDIS and closed the doors carefully behind him, knowing that he would hear from the Priestess if he was careless in any way. The Doctor rounded on him the second he heard his footsteps, the Priestess choosing to remain silent for the meantime.

"I told you to keep an eye on her!" the Doctor snarled, angrily.

"She's all right-" Mickey began, dismissively.

The Doctor shook his head. "She goes wandering off – parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house! All those temptations calling out," he growled.

Mickey scowled. "Oh, so it's just Rose then? Nothing out there to tempt me?" he asked, offended.

The Priestess took a step forward and placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder. Mickey turned around to look at her, slightly taken aback by the concern and understanding swirling in her brown eyes – he imagined a mother would look at her child like this – he wondered if the Priestess had ever been a mother, he could definitely see it. He gave her a grateful smile – at least he wasn't just furniture or some stowaway to _her –_ that made the Doctor scowl.

"Well, I don't know," the Doctor spat out. "I can't worry about everything... if I could just get this thing to-"

He glowered and lashed out by kicking at the TARDIS console hard in his frustration. He walked slowly over to a chair, muttering under his breath.

"Did that help?" the Priestess asked, dryly, knowing the truth.

"Yes," the Doctor grumbled.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow, her eyes roving over him. "And did it cause you pain?" she purred.

"Yes. Ow," he hissed.

He slumped down onto the floor, beside her, and rubbed his foot, much to the Priestess' amusement.

* * *

"We're not meant to be here," the Doctor said, uncomfortably, exchanging a look with the Priestess.

"The TARDIS draws its power off a source called the Eye of Harmony. The original Eye of Harmony existed on our planet and was destroyed when the Time War ended," the Priestess said, emotionlessly, as if the total destruction of her planet and her people meant nothing to her. "But this TARDIS and ones like it contain a separate power source called the Eye of Harmony, a copy of the Prime one on our planet. The link between the TARDIS' Eye of Harmony and the Prime Eye of Harmony on our planet is what fuels the TARDIS."

"But if the Eye of Harmony on _your_ planet is gone-" Mickey stumbled over his words, not wanting to offend either the Time Lady or Time Lord.

The Priestess' smile was wistful and small. "The Eye of Harmony within the TARDIS can also act as a temporary independent power source where the Prime Eye of Harmony is out of range or, in our case, no longer exists. However, it would still need to refuel itself eventually."

"Like that rift-thingy in Cardiff?" Mickey asked, carefully.

Her eyes twinkled. "Exactly," she murmured with pride. "But once a TARDIS begins to rely on scavenged fuel, such as rift energy, as opposed to the Eye of Harmony on our planet, travel to another universe would leave the TARDIS without power. Fuel collected in a universe can _only_ be used in that universe. And _this_ is the wrong universe." She finished, smoothly.

"It's like diesel in a petrol engine," the Doctor explained further.

Mickey slumped to the ground beside the Doctor and looked up at the Priestess with eager eyes. "But... I've seen it in comics. People are hopping from one alternative world to another… it's easy," he objected.

The Doctor sent him a withering look, an unpleasant feeling coursing through him as he witnessed Mickey deeply ensnared by the Priestess. His teeth ground together, the sight of the looks passing between the Priestess and Mickey not sitting well with him.

"Not in the real world," the Doctor said, harshly. He paused, sensing the admonishment in the Priestess' gaze without even needing to look up. He knew her better than he knew himself. A pause rang in the air. "Used to be easy." He admitted, reluctantly. "When the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, when the Eye of Harmony on our planet was up and running, you could hop between realities, home in time for tea. Then they died, took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed. Everything became that bit less kind." He said, wistfully.

The look between him and the Priestess said volumes and he could feel her grief for those they had lost writhing in their bond like a live wire, waiting to be touched to cause pain.

"Then how did we get here?" Mickey frowned.

The Doctor shrugged, wearily. "I dunno. Accident? Should've been impossible… now we're trapped," he sighed.

Despair hung, damply, in the air.

The Doctor's sprung to his feet, something flickering in the corner of his eye. "What's that?" he murmured, curiously.

The Priestess' brow furrowed and her lips pursed, her gaze dragging to what the Doctor peered at. A small, green light glowed beneath the console and the Priestess' lips parted as she sank down into a crouch in front of it, hope seething inside her once again.

Mickey watched the two with bewilderment. "What?"

The Doctor pointed at the green light. "That there – is that a reflection?" he asked.

The Doctor and Mickey squatted beside the Priestess, who had her brown eyes fixed on the light, as if she weren't paying any attention at all to the conversation in the background.

The Doctor nudged the Priestess' shoulder, his body vibrating with excitement. "It's a light! Is it? Is that a light? I think that's a light! That's all we need!" he exclaimed with glee.

The Priestess twisted her head to the side to regard him, fondly. She was a woman of few words – after all, the Doctor spoke enough for the both of them – but all he had ever needed to do was stare into her eyes – no matter what face held them – and know how dear she held him in her estimation, that his adoration for her was returned just as fiercely. When he looked at her, he felt as if he could carry the whole weight of the universe and not slump forwards.

The Priestess and the Doctor carefully removed the grilling underneath the console, the Priestess' painted nails picking at the metal.

"We've got power! Mickey, we've got power! Ha!" the Doctor whooped.

* * *

The Priestess slid herself into the grilling and pulled out wires and other pieces of machinery that Mickey imagined were quite important internal components of the TARDIS, but the Priestess acted with such steady and sure fingers, he felt no need to doubt her. What he found the most amusing was whenever the Doctor would move to assist her, his fingers reaching to tug at a cable or a pick at a device, the Priestess would smack his hands away and give him such a withering look that the Doctor would roll his eyes and settle back, resolving to watch her with such blanket pride and adoration that he almost felt like he was intruding on a private moment.

The Doctor peered down the grilling once the Priestess had shifted away and a look of delirious excitement flashed across his face.

"It's alive!" he exclaimed.

Mickey kneeled beside the grilling, wondering if he could spot what had made the Doctor so happy. "What is it?" he asked, curiously.

"It's nothing. It's tiny. One of those insignificant little power cells that no one ever bothers about, and it's clinging onto life. But with one little ounce of reality tucked away inside." The Doctor grinned.

"Enough to get us home?" Mickey asked, hope brimming in his chest.

"Not yet," the Priestess murmured, slowly, her eyes scouring the power cell, thumbing the power cell.

She carefully placed it in the Doctor's palm, who sat back on the small set of stairs under the grilling, while the Priestess lifted herself out of the hatch in the floor with amazing flexibility.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "We need to charge it up," he explained, holding it carefully, cupped in both of his hands.

"We could go outside and latch it up to the national grid!" Mickey offered.

The Doctor shook his head. "Wrong sort of energy."

The Priestess looked at Mickey, gently. "The energy must come from our universe for the power cell to properly recharge."

Mickey's face fell. "But we don't have anything."

"There's me…" the Doctor trailed off.

The Priestess clucked her tongue and before the Doctor could do anything, she snatched the power cell out of his palms and held it carefully in her own hands. A golden mist spilled from her pouty mouth and the power cell glowed, brightly. The Priestess beamed but rolled her eyes when she caught sight of the scowl.

"What?" she asked, sharply.

"You just gave away _ten_ years of your life," the Doctor said, dangerously, his eyes furious.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "I have the years to spare. _You_ , on the other hand, do not. You are on your eleventh body. I am on my third. Therefore, I using my regeneration energy is more practical than you using yours. Ten years off my life is nothing compared to ten years off yours," she said, fiercely, and fell silent, her tone intending that there be no more argument.

 _I don't want you shortening your life for any reason, Nikki,_ the Doctor said, sharply.

 _What? Do you expect me to allow you to give up ten years off your life when you already possess a limited scope for regeneration as it is?_ the Priestess retorted. Their link went taut with the slivers of fright and worry that escaped her. _You are on your eleventh body. Do you not understand what that means?_ she asked, helplessly. _You can only do this twice more and then you will die absolutely. I cannot imagine living in a world where you are not there. I have done it once and I almost did not survive. I would have died if I could._

The Doctor felt the cold reach right into his ribcage and wind around his hearts. The link went stiff with the Priestess' determination and he wished he could reach out for her, not just in his mind, but actually stretch out a hand and touch her cheek and offer her some comfort like he was desperate to do. But he was mindful that Mickey was right there.

 _There is no need to be needlessly overprotective about this,_ she said, primly. _I have the regenerative energy to spare. You do not. Enough. I have no wish to talk about this further._

 _Okay, but if something goes wrong later on, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so',_ the Doctor threatened, his mind twisting with hers. _And the next time one of us has to give up some of our regeneration energy, I get to do it, alright? I want to do the next big gesture._ His voice was almost an endearing whine that made her smile.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _It was hardly a big gesture._ She could sense the Doctor wanting to argue. _But, very well. If it will assuage your fears,_ she said, soothingly.

Mickey exchanged a look between them. "You know, guys, it's really weird when you do the whole silent conversation thing."

* * *

Rose's eyes glinted as she searched the name 'Pete Tyler' when her phone finally connected to the Cybus Network.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Mickey all stared at the power cell with equally beaming grins. Although, Mickey's face fell when the light for the power cell faded.

"It's going out… is that okay?" Mickey asked, worriedly.

The Priestess nodded. "It is on a recharging cycle."

The power cell grew brighter again, and then dimmed, repeating the same pattern over and over again.

"It'll loop round, power back up and be ready to take us home in… oh… twenty-four hours?" the Doctor explained, leaning down and kissing the power cell.

"So, that gives us twenty-four hours on a parallel world?" Mickey asked, excitedly.

"Surely!" the Doctor exclaimed. The Priestess shot him a sharp look and the Doctor amended himself. "As long as we keep our heads down. Easy. No problem."

He threw the power cell in the air and caught it in his hand as it came back down, and he jumped to his feet.

"Let's go and tell her," the Doctor sighed.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Mickey came across Rose sitting on a bench just outside the TARDIS.

"There you are!" the Doctor crowed. "You all right? No applause, I fixed it!" He showed her the power cell, preening. The Priestess looked at him, chidingly. "Well, _we_ fixed it." He felt the Priestess' nails digging into her shoulder. "Well, 'Tess pretty much did all the work," he amended. "Twenty-four hours, then we're flying back to reality." He said, smugly.

He sat down on the bench, holding up the power cell to show her, which Rose didn't seem interested in all, lost in her own thoughts with not even a second glance to the other three gathered around her.

The Doctor's grin faded, once he noted the mobile clutched in Rose's hand, her skin white from a lack of blood circulation, Rose having clamped her hands around the phone in a death grip, as if she were afraid the phone would walk away from her if she loosened her grip slightly.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, worriedly.

The Priestess stared at Rose, unfathomably, knowing that nothing good was about to come from Rose's mouth.

"My phone connected. There's this... Cybus Network, it finds your phone. It gave me Internet access," Rose said, hoarsely.

The Doctor tensed and resolved not to look at the Priestess, knowing he would find disapproval and triumph in her eyes. To be fair, he knew had asked for it when he had doubted her surmise of Rose's longing and determination to see her dead father – in whatever form she could get him in. The Priestess always had flawless instincts, especially about people. He hadn't wanted to believe her about Rose – she had been the first human in whom he had seen a spark after the Time War, he owed her that much at least – but he knew the Priestess was hitting the nail on the head every single time.

He felt anger stir inside of him, wanting to shake the blonde girl if it would make her understand just how stupid she was being and actually _listen_ to them. But then, shame prickled at him until he was left empty, wondering why he had chosen to disbelieve the Priestess – _his Bondmate_ , _the other half of him_ – when Rose had shown just how unwilling she was to listen to either of them when they warned her against tampering with space and time in order to see her father. Sometimes he felt like the girl was more trouble than she was worth. And to top it all off, she was causing friction in his relationship with the Priestess because he was so willing to give her a second and a third and a fourth chance.

"Rose, whatever it says, this is the wrong world," he said, sharply.

"I don't exist." Rose turned to him, her eyes helpless and pleading.

 _The Doctor will understand, won't he? He'll let me see him if I can just explain. If he just stops listening to her, I know he'll let me see him_. Her eyes turned bitter as they landed on the Priestess. _I know what you're doing_ , she thought, darkly. _You want to make me seem less important to him. You think that if you keep whispering in his ear and telling him I'm some stupid little human that doesn't deserve to travel with him because I'm never going to know what it means to be a Time Lord or Lady or whatever and I'm never going to understand half of the things he says and you always do because you're a genius like him and I'm just a shop girl who didn't even finish high school, and making him say no to everything I want because you think I'm not as smart as you and because you think you're better than me, he won't want me with him. That he'll kick me off the ship. But it's not going to work. I am important to him. I was here first. I was here before you. And I'm going to keep travelling with him. And you can't change that._ She thought, defiantly, as if the Priestess could hear her.

The Doctor sighed, long-sufferingly. "What do you mean?" he asked, reluctantly.

"There's no Rose Tyler," Rose murmured, mournfully. "I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie... he still married mum... but they never had kids."

The Doctor cursed under his breath and tried to snatch the mobile out of his hands. "Give me that phone," he said, sharply.

But Rose pulled it away from his grasp before he could lay his hands on it.

"They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want." Rose paused, licking her lips. "But they haven't got me," she said, finally, sounding close to tears.

She jumped to her feet and walked away from the bench. Then, she spun around to face the Doctor with a fierce look.

"I've gotta see him," Rose said, firmly.

The Priestess opened her mouth to tear into her, but before she could, the Doctor protested.

"You can't," the Doctor snapped.

"I just wanna see him," Rose pleaded.

"I can't let you!" the Doctor's voice was a low growl, disbelieving she was pushing him to this extent.

"You _just_ said twenty-four hours!" Rose shot back, angrily.

"You can't become their daughter." The Doctor lowered his voice to a soothing murmur. "That's not the way it works! Tess, tell her." He turned to the Priestess, expectantly.

"Oh, I do not believe that you want _me_ to tell her," the Priestess said, threateningly, her face etched in harsh lines that practically spilled her distaste and disapproval for Rose.

Rose stared back at her, defiantly.

 _Do not push me, girl_ , the Priestess thought, darkly. _That would not be wise_.

Mickey slid to his feet, a determined look on his face. "Twenty-four hours, yeah?" he clarified. He turned to leave and looked at the Priestess with understanding. "You want to leave these two to their Lifetime drama?"

The Priestess' gaze burned holes in the Doctor until he was forced to turn away from her, uncomfortable and shamefaced. "Yes, I believe so," she said, lowly, taking his offered arm.

The Doctor scowled at seeing the Priestess' hand curl around Mickey's elbow. He glared at her, demanding her explanation, but she spun on her feet, her dark locks flicking up behind her in dismissal, her mind shut and a seething black to him.

"Where're you two going?" the Doctor asked, sharply, bewildered by Mickey's sudden intentions and the Priestess' biting slight.

"Well, I can do what I want!" Mickey snapped back, tugging the Priestess along with him.

 _It is on the tip of your tongue to allow Rose to do as she pleases. Why should Mickey not have his time as well? And, in any case, I shall be with him and I am a great deal more responsible than you are when it comes to preventing catastrophes by meddling humans who have absolutely no concept of what they are playing with._

Her words were hot pincers in his hearts and suddenly, his mind was silent again.

He hated it.

Rose started to walk backwards in the opposite direction and the Doctor focused on her again, despite his reluctance.

"I've got the address and everything," she offered.

The Doctor looked from Mickey and the Priestess to Rose, frantically, his head beginning to ache.

"Stay where you are, all of you! Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here right now! Tess, don't you dare!"

"I just wanna see him," Rose begged.

Mickey nodded. "Yeah, I've got things to see and all."

"Like _what_?" the Doctor asked, incredulously, and knew by the frown on the Priestess' face that it had been wrong to say.

 _Do not assume that Rose is the only one that possesses a life and family, my love_ , she admonished.

By the way Mickey's face darkened with annoyance, the Doctor guessed he felt the same way.

"Well, you don't know anything about me, do ya? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part." Mickey scowled.

Rose pursed her lips and walked away. "I'm sorry. I've gotta go," she said, fleetingly.

The Doctor turned from Rose to Mickey the Priestess, all of them walking away from him, him not knowing which way to turn. He stared at the Priestess, pleadingly.

 _Tess, don't-_

But her mind was shut off to him, held fast by high walls and an angry defiance.

"Tess-" he tried aloud.

"You will want to follow Rose, undoubtedly," the Priestess said, coldly, her voice not betraying her bitterness. "And while you are chasing after the human girl that absolutely refuses to listen to those smarter and more experienced in the ways of time and dimension travel than she is, I believe I will go with Mickey, who seems to be the only reasonable one on this ship beside myself."

"Tess, wait-" the Doctor stretched out a hand to pull her back into him.

But she had already spun on her feet and slipped to Mickey's side, leaving him cold.

 _When did you become so pathetic, my love?_

Mickey rolled his eyes, gesturing to Rose. "Go on then. No choice, is there? You can only chase after one of us, and it's never gonna be me, is it?"

 _He stole the words out of my mouth_ , the Priestess thought, mournfully.

Rose simply turned on her feet and left, as if she had no desire to put her mind to Mickey's words.

The Doctor growled in resignation, fixing the Priestess with a disappointed, irritated look. "Back here in twenty-four hours!" he said, warningly, and ran after Rose.

The Priestess was left with an ache in her chest, her face fallen. Mickey touched her hand and she shook her head, smiling, although not quite as bright as before.

"Yeah. If we haven't found something better," he said, comfortingly.

"Yes." The Priestess pursed her lips.

She gave the Doctor's retreating form one more wounded look before letting Mickey drag her along.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : And there we go. We got a lot of friction in this chapter and we're beginning to see some of the resentment the Priestess has and is building up towards the Doctor. Some of it has to do with Rose, but the Priestess already has her own problems with the Doctor. So, they're all compounding together and Rose is just making it worse. And the Doctor isn't really helping at this point, either. In the Priestess' eyes, she's becoming less important and Rose is becoming more, and that's really hurting her feelings. Of course, there are still some sweet moments between the Priestess and the Doctor in this chapter. Like when the TARDIS crashed and the Doctor was all concerned about whether she was injured, or when the Priestess followed Mickey outside and the Doctor wanted to protect her. Or when the Priestess gave up her regeneration energy instead of the Doctor – she really doesn't like the idea of him shortening his life span, especially when he can only regenerate twice more.

And I hope you guys are liking the whole Priestess/Mickey friendship. I think they would get along. The Priestess is becoming really protective over Mickey because she feels like she can relate to him. She was the one the Doctor left back on Gallifrey like how Rose kept leaving Mickey on Earth and expecting him to stay devoted to her. She knows what it's like to be second choice and she wants Mickey to understand something she never quite got herself – there's a life beyond the one they love. They'll get closer in the next few chapters and he'll definitely be fond of her when he comes back in _Army of Ghosts/Doomsday_.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a review if there's anything you'd like to tell me. You can catch me on my Tumblr too if you can't be bothered leaving a review!

See you next time!

 **Reviews:**

 _Bladewolf101_ : Honestly, I don't have the steam for it anymore.

 _the stargate time traveller_ : As you can see here, she does go with Mickey. The Doctor is aware of it, but he tends to dismiss it as something innocent. He has a lot of blinders where Rose is concerned, for obvious reasons.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much!

 _lautaro94_ : I totally get what you're saying and I can see your points, but I think what you're misunderstanding is that the Priestess isn't angry at Rose because she has feelings for the Doctor, otherwise she wouldn't be so friendly with Sarah Jane. She's bothered by Rose because Rose has a tendency to put her down so that she can look good in front of the Doctor. Whether Rose knows or not, she's established that Tess is a romantic rival and she's going full throttle. And the Priestess doesn't owe Rose an explanation as to the extent of her relationship with the Doctor. If she doesn't want to tell her, that's her choice. Is it a bit fucked up, sure, but it's her right to keep that to herself if she wants. Rose is digging her own hole here. Not because she's in love with a 'married man', which I would never say, because it's misogynistic as fuck and relies on Rose knowing things she doesn't know, as you pointed out, but because she has a classic mean girl attitude in which she wants people to feel bad so she can feel better about herself. Rose is not a child. She's 19. She's a grown-ass adult and she's responsible for her own actions. While she is a child to Tess and the Doctor, she's not one in reality.

 _Yuki Daviji_ : Thank you!


	13. Rise of the Cybermen: Iron Giant

**A/N** : So, here's the next chapter of Rise of the Cybermen. We'll have some jealous Rose and bitter Priestess and a clueless, helpless Doctor and things kind of starting to get worse for Doctess at this point. Not to mention, some Priestess/Mickey bonding time as well, because I think they'd be awesome together. Hope you enjoy!

 **Warnings** : Fluff. More fluff. Some drama. A little angst.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 13**

 **Rise of the Cybermen: Iron Giant**

 _The Doctor growled in resignation, fixing the Priestess with a disappointed, irritated look. "Back here in twenty-four hours!" he said, warningly, and ran after Rose._

 _The Priestess was left with an ache in her chest, her face fallen. Mickey touched her hand and she shook her head, smiling, although not quite as bright as before._

" _Yeah. If we haven't found something better," he said, comfortingly._

" _Yes." The Priestess pursed her lips._

 _She gave the Doctor's retreating form one more wounded look before letting Mickey drag her along._

Mickey and the Priestess walked alongside a factory titled 'Cybus Industries', the Priestess growing interested as she saw the military barring the road ahead. One of the soldiers approached them.

"Are we all right to get past?" Mickey asked him, curiously.

The soldier shrugged. "Yeah. No bother. Curfew doesn't start 'til ten."

The Priestess frowned. "There is a curfew?"

"Course there is," the soldier said, incredulously, giving her a strange look. "Where you two been living? Up there with the toffs?"

The soldier stared up at the zeppelins in the sky, Mickey and the Priestess following his gaze.

"I wish," Mickey muttered. The Priestess and him exchanged a look and they walked on. "See ya."

One of the soldiers lifted the barrier for them and they went on their way.

Once they were out of the soldier's earshot, Mickey turned to the Priestess.

"Is it just me or this world really weird?" Mickey asked, grimacing.

"Are you referring to the zeppelins in the sky and the apparent martial law instituted in 21st century London?" the Priestess looked at him, quizzically.

"Martial law?" Mickey asked, confused.

"Martial law refers to the use of military force to enforce the will of the government on the people. As you can see, the military presence in the streets and the imposition of a curfew." She paused. "And my answer is yes. This world is incredibly strange."

* * *

"Mickey's mum just couldn't cope," Rose told the Doctor, as they walked down the street. "His dad hung around for a while, but then he just sort of wandered off. He was brought up by his gran." She smiled. "She was such a great woman. God, she used to slap him!" she crowed, but her face soon fell. "And then she died." She said, morosely. "She tripped and fell down the stairs. It's about five years ago, now. I was still in school."

"I never knew," the Doctor said, mournfully.

"Well, you never asked," Rose said, pointedly, much to his chagrin.

The Doctor scowled, unable to take criticism from the girl who lacked consideration for her supposed best friend majority of the time. "You never said!" he shot back.

He frowned up at the sky, thinking of the Priestess and Mickey together. Mickey seeing his grandmother and needing comfort, the Priestess, with all of her kindness and good nature, soothing him.

 _Okay, ENOUGH._

"That's Mickey. I s'pose I-we just... take him for granted." Rose bit her lip. "Do you think she's still alive, his gran?" she asked, uneasily.

The Doctor shrugged. "Could be. Like I said, parallel world – gingerbread house. We need to get out of here as fast as we can."

Rose sighed. "Well, the Priestess is with him, I guess. She'll take care of him."

Resentment and relief was equally abundant in her voice. She neither wanted the Priestess with Mickey, nor did she hate that the Priestess was no longer intruding upon her time with the Doctor.

A short alarm sounded and everyone around them suddenly froze, the Doctor and Rose looking around at them with confusion.

"What're they all doing?" Rose asked, her nose scrunching.

"They've stopped..." the Doctor said, blankly.

His eyes narrowed when he caught sight of identical earpieces worn by everyone, flashing and beeping quietly. He paused beside one man and squinted at his earpiece.

"It's the earpieces... like Bluetooth attachments, but everyone's connected together."

Rose's phone beeped and she took it out of her pocket, surveying it, curiously.

"It's on my phone. It's automatic, look." She showed him the screen. "It's downloading. Is this what they're all getting?"

The Doctor peered over her shoulder, sliding his glasses on, as Rose scrolled through the 'daily downloads'.

"News... international news... sport... weather..." Rose murmured.

The Doctor frowned. "They get it direct. Downloaded right into their heads."

"TV schedules, lottery numbers..."

"Everyone shares the same information." The Doctor scowled, snatching the phone from Rose to read the screen himself. "Daily download published by Cybus Industries."

The download scrolled to 'Joke' and everyone around them chuckled at that exact moment. They then went on their merry way, leaving the Doctor and Rose to stare with disbelief at the crowd, who carried on, nonplussed, as though nothing had happened.

The Doctor shook his head. "You lot, you're obsessed. You'd do anything for the latest upgrade." He grimaced.

"Oi…" Rose nudged him in the side with her elbow, with a familiarity that the Doctor was momentarily discomfited by, before he brushed his worries away. "Not my lot. Different world, remember..." she trailed off.

"It's not _so_ far off your world. This place is only parallel." The Doctor reminded her, pressing a few buttons on the phone. He showed her the screen. "Oh, look at that. Cybus Industries owns just about every company in Britain, including Vitex. Mr Pete Tyler's _very_ well connected," he drawled.

Rose latched onto his arm, the sunlight flitting into her hair, her eyes bright and innocent and wide and pleading. She smiled, hopefully, at him.

If only the Priestess could see him now – waylaid by a human. She'd laugh and call him foolish. But this particular human reminded him so very much of the daughter and granddaughter they had lost – the same wanderlust spark in her eyes –, although the Priestess may have something vocal to say about that. But he had never been able to resist the doe eyes Vairë had inherited from her mother. When she wanted something, he had yielded without an argument. And Susan had followed in her footsteps. He was a hopeless, helpless slave to the women in his family – the women he loved more than anything in this universe –, the Priestess most of all.

The Doctor's shoulders slumped and he sighed, reluctantly. "Oh, okay. I give up."

He hid his grimace at her touch, despite his fondness for Rose, his skin crawling where she hung off his arm. He tossed the phone back at her, relieved when she was forced to let him go. It felt wrong to have her hands on him when the Priestess was _there_ , with him, and was a slow, steady burn in the back of his mind, more so since she had left, angry at him.

"Let's go and see him," the Doctor conceded.

* * *

"You didn't have to come with me, you know?" Mickey said, slowly, as they turned the corner into a decayed area.

"I know," the Priestess said, warmly. "But I would like to meet your grandmother. From what you have told me, she sounds like quite the interesting individual." She paused, biting her lip, wondering whether she should reveal so much of herself to a man she barely knew. "And if I am being honest, I had no intention of remaining with the Doctor and Rose for much longer." She said, quietly.

Mickey looked at her and saw a kindred spirit. "You see it too, don't you?" he said, knowingly.

The Priestess nodded, slowly. "I believe she is in love with him," she said, painfully.

No one could acknowledge that another was in love with _their_ Bondmate and remain indifferent.

"And him?" Mickey asked, curiously.

"No," the Priestess said, firmly. "No. The Doctor would not do that to-"

"-to you?" Mickey finished. "So, I was right then? There is something between you two."

The Priestess smiled and ducked her head. "As I said before, it is immensely complicated."

Mickey snorted. "I'm beginning to realise. Does Rose-" he trailed off.

"Know? No, she does not." The Priestess shook her head. "I have asked the Doctor not to inform her, presently."

"But why?" Mickey asked, hotly. "Why would you let her get hurt like that? 'Cause if the Doctor doesn't feel the same way-"

"What did the Doctor tell you about me?" the Priestess asked, interrupting him.

Mickey frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Did he mention what happens to me?" she asked, curiously.

"What happens to you?" Mickey asked, confused.

The Priestess sighed. "At the age of eight, all children entering the Time Lord academy are taken to the Untempered Schism, which is an opening in the space/time continuum – a gap in the fabric of reality from which can be seen the whole of the Time Vortex, as an initiation ceremony. When I gazed into the Untempered Schism, I was one of those who were _inspired_. I was _gifted_ with visions." Resentment flared in her brown eyes.

"So, you see the future?" Mickey's voice was unsure.

"I see _everything_ ," the Priestess corrected, gently. "The past, the present, the future. But, despite the opinions of my people," Her voice was bitter. "It was a curse, not a gift. With each vision comes unimaginable pain and and the horrific things I have witnessed," She fell quiet. "I would not wish it on anyone." She paused. "I saw Rose becoming Bad Wolf. And I knew _why_ she would make the decision she did. She needed to make that decision. And I _must_ protect the timelines. It is my duty. It has always been my duty. I can _never fail_." She said, determinedly.

Mickey suddenly felt sorry for this brave, little woman who seemed to have the universe on her shoulders. He could see the desperation and grief in her eyes and knew she meant no malice in keeping the secret of her relationship with the Doctor from Rose. She had done what she thought was best and she was paying the price more than anyone else in the situation.

Nevertheless, his heart went out to the woman who had the whole of time and space spinning around her without a way to run from it. And she had convinced herself that she couldn't run from it, even if she wanted to.

It was her _duty_.

"And _that_ 's why you didn't tell Rose that you and the Doctor are a couple," Mickey guessed.

The Priestess nodded. "I imagine it sounds cruel from your perspective and I understand that. But if Rose had made a different decision that day, because she had learnt the true nature of the Doctor's and my relationship, it would have been catastrophic. Time and space could have shattered at that very moment." Her voice tightened. "I am a Time Lady. I am the _last_ Time Lady. I will _never_ let that happen." She smiled, sadly. "So, I keep secrets. I keep secrets from _everyone_. Including the Doctor. I have to. Knowing too much is dangerous."

"But what about you?" Mickey asked, worriedly. "If knowing too much is dangerous, what's going to happen to you?"

"Nothing good, I believe," the Priestess confessed. "I have had my own suspicions about my fate for a very long time. Each time I am _wrecked_ by one of these dreams, I die a little. I imagine, one day, the visions will consume me, I will not awake from them and they will kill me." She spoke with such certainty that Mickey felt his stomach sinking.

"But the Doctor-can't he do something?" Mickey's voice was desperate and worried.

"I have not shared my suspicions with him," the Priestess said, gently. "It would only worry him needlessly. And there is nothing he could do for me." His face fell and she tipped his head up with her fingers under his jaw. "Peace, Mickey. I have lived a long life, longer than most. And after everything, death would be a mercy." She said, finally.

"But it's not fair," Mickey said, quietly.

"No, no, it is not. But it is my duty, my calling and I am content." She smiled, a smile that didn't light up her face the one she gave the Doctor did. "But, as to our original point of conversation, before I started blathering on about myself and my troubles," she stared at him like one that could see right into his heart. "I told you once, I have been where you are. Second to the one you love. It is not a pretty fate when all the songs say that love makes you strong. Sometimes," she hesitated, as if she shouldn't say the next words out loud. "I have never felt lower than when I have loved the Doctor," she confessed. She clapped her hands after a moment. "I came with you because I believe that you need a friend, and if the Doctor and Rose are not willing to be that for you, I hope you will accept me in their place." She said, softly.

Mickey grinned. "I'd like that."

They crossed the street and the Priestess watched with sympathy as Mickey's pace slowed slightly, as they approached one of the doors. Mickey sped up and knocked three times.

"Who's that there?" a woman shouted from inside.

The door swung open and an elderly, dark-skinned woman stood on the threshold, wearing dark, full glasses that told the Priestess that Mickey's grandmother was blind.

"Who is it? I know you're there. Shame on you, tricking an old lady. I've got nothing worth stealing." Mickey's grandmother brandished her walking stick. "And don't think I'm gonna disappear! You're _not_ gonna take _me_ ," she said, fiercely.

Mickey simply stared at her, overcome.

"Hi," he stammered.

His grandmother stopped in her tracks. "Is that you?" she asked, in a hushed voice.

"It's me. I came home," Mickey said, hoarsely, tears flickering in his eyes.

His grandmother reached out to him, clumsily, touching his face. "Ricky?" she asked, softly.

Mickey frowned. "It's Mickey," he corrected.

His grandmother scowled. "I know my own grandson's name. It's Ricky. Now, come here."

She pulled him into a hug that into which Mickey practically fell.

"Okay, I'm Ricky. Of course I am. Ricky, that's me," Mickey whispered into her shoulder, merely happy to have the chance to hug her again.

The Priestess watched the exchange with a tight throat and a pale face, wondering if it would be this sweet to see her children again.

Mickey's grandmother suddenly pushed him away and whacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" Mickey yelled, gripping his shoulder.

"You stupid boy," his grandmother hissed, giving him another smack. "Where've you been?" she asked, shrilly.

"Ow! Stop hitting me!" Mickey shouted.

The Priestess smiled to herself, the panic and joy flickering on Mickey's face making her face soften with affection.

Mickey's grandmother smacked him another three times. "It's been days and days! I keep hearing all these stories. People disappearing off the streets. There's nothing of it on the download." She pointed to her earpiece, which the Priestess watched with interest. "But there're all these rumours, and-and whispers. I thought that God had disappeared you!"

Mickey's eyes trailed to the torn carpet on the staircase behind his grandmother. His voice trembled. "That carpet on the stairs, I told you to get it fixed, you're gonna-" He closed his eyes when the Priestess placed a warm, comforting hand on his arm. "-fall and break your neck," he finished, hoarsely.

His grandmother's lip twitched. "Well, you get it fixed for me," she shot back.

"I should'a done way back. I guess I'm just kinda useless," Mickey said, despondently.

The Priestess' hand tightened around his arm and she shook her head at him. He _wasn't_ useless – it flared in her eyes.

"Now, I never said that." His grandmother's voice turned gentler.

Mickey's throat tightened. "I am, though. And I'm sorry, gran. I'm so sorry." Tears threatened his eyes.

"Don't talk like that. Do you know what you need? A nice sit down and a cuppa tea. You got time?" his grandmother asked, carefully.

"For you, I've got all the time in the world," Mickey said, fiercely.

Mickey's grandmother laughed. "You say that, but it's all talk. It's those new friends of yours. I don't trust them." She wagged her finger.

Mickey and the Priestess exchanged a curious look. "What friends are they?"

"Don't pretend you don't know," his grandmother said, warningly. "You've been seeing them. Mrs Chan told me. Driving about all helter-skelter, in that van."

There was a skid of tyres on the road behind them, and the Priestess turned around with interest.

"What van's that, then?" Mickey asked, frowning.

"You know full well! Don't play games with me."

The Priestess slipped back when the van drew up sharply behind her and Mickey.

"Get inside!" Mickey's grandmother shouted.

A young man with blonde hair leapt out of the van and grabbed Mickey by the collar, tugging on the Priestess' arm.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! This your new bird?" the man asked Mickey, a roguish grin on his face when he looked the Priestess up and down.

He shoved the two inside the van, despite their protests. There was an older woman driving, who shook her head and wasted no time in driving off.

The blonde man sat opposite to Mickey and the Priestess in the back of the van.

"Ricky, you were the one who told us: you don't contact your family 'cos it puts them in danger!" the man chided. He watched the Priestess, warily. "And you don't go picking up some bird and _introducing_ her to the family you're not supposed to contact!"

The Priestess scowled and opened her mouth to retort – she didn't exactly appreciate being called a 'bird'; _she looked nothing like one_ – when Mickey's hand fell on her knee, squeezing.

"Yeah. Ricky said that. Course I did, just testing," Mickey stammered out, his eyes shifting uneasily.

"I saw them. I taped them!" the man crowed. "They went round Black Friars gathering up the homeless like a child-catcher. They must've took four dozen."

The Priestess frowned. _Who is 'they'? And why would they take homeless people?_

"The vans were hired out to a company called 'International Electromatics'. But I did a protocol search... turns out that's a dummy company established by guess who?" the driving woman said, pointedly.

Mickey felt flummoxed and looked at the Priestess, who raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, who?" he asked, sceptically.

The man and woman looked at him, strangely. "Cybus Industries!"

Mickey nodded, as if he knew what they were talking about.

The man turned to the woman. "And now we've got evidence!"

The woman sighed, looking at Mickey. "Bad news is, they've arrested Thin Jimmy. So that just leaves you."

"Leaves him for what?" the Priestess frowned.

The blonde man smirked at her, sultrily, and waggled his eyes. "Oh, didn't he tell you, babe? The Number One. Top of the list. London's Most Wanted."

The Priestess' took in a sharp breath and looked at Mickey.

"Okay, cool," Mickey said, lamely. He paused and his eyes widened. "Say that again?" he croaked.

* * *

The van pulled up outside a house and the blonde man hopped out of it first.

He frowned. "There's a light on. There's someone inside the base."

Mickey and the Priestess jumped down after them.

"Mrs Moore, we've got visitors," the blonde man said, carefully, his eyes flickering back to the van.

The three of them snuck down the side of the house, guns at the ready, and crouched just outside the door.

The Priestess pressed herself against the wall, choosing not to carry the weapon as she stared at the gun in Mickey's hands with distaste. She preferred the power behind a whisper in one's ear, a carefully-placed word rather than rendering her enemies dead with blood and gore.

"One... two... three... go!"

They burst into the house, Mrs Moore and Jake pointing the guns. The Priestess closed her eyes when she saw Mickey's doppelganger standing in the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" the doppelganger snapped.

Mrs Moore and Jake looked from him to Mickey, completely bewildered.

"What're you doing _there_?!" Jake asked, incredulously.

The doppelganger walked slowly forwards. "What am I doing _here_?" He stared at Mickey, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "What am I doing _there_?" he asked, pointing his finger at Mickey.

In a split second, Jake and Mrs Moore spun on their feet and turned their guns on Mickey and the Priestess, who simply raised her hands, a tense look on her face, while Mickey tentatively raised his, eyes wide.

* * *

The Doctor and Rose, from their position, crouched in the nearby bushes, watched as an expensive car pulled up outside Pete's and Jackie's house.

"They've got visitors," the Doctor commented.

"February the first: mum's birthday. Even in a parallel universe, she still loves a party." Rose smiled to herself, fondly.

"Well, given Pete Tyler's guest list, I wouldn't mind a look. And there is one guaranteed way of getting inside." The Doctor waved his psychic paper around, a smile glinting on his face

Rose lit up. "Psychic paper!" she cried out.

The Doctor grinned. "Who do you wanna be?"

* * *

The Doctor and Rose entered the party from the kitchen, the Doctor clad in a smart suit and Rose in a maid's outfit, holding trays of refreshments. A woman took an appetiser from Rose's plate and walked off without a word.

"We could've been anyone," Rose muttered under her breath.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Got us in, didn't it?" he said, pointedly.

Rose scowled. "You're in charge of the psychic paper. We could've been guests. Celebrities. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose. We end up serving. I had enough of this back home," she whined.

They both smiled politely as people stole champagne and cocktail sticks from their trays.

The Doctor shrugged. "If you wanna know what's going on, work in the kitchens."

They retreated slightly to the side of the room in order to watch as groups of important people chatted and laughed, photographs being taken.

The Doctor nodded towards a smartly-dressed older man. "According to Lucy, that man over there-"

Rose scowled, her hackles rising. "Who's Lucy?" she asked, jealousy flashing in her eyes.

The Doctor frowned in bewilderment at the angry look on Rose's face. "She's carrying the salmon pinwheels," he explained, slowly, confused by the aggression behind Rose's reaction. He nodded over to the young waitress in question at the other side of the room.

Rose's eyes narrowed at the girl. "Oh, that's Lucy, is it?" she hissed.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "...Yeah! Lucy says, that is the President of Great Britain," he said, conspiratorially.

Rose's brow furrowed. "What, there's a President, not a Prime Minister?" she asked, confused.

The Doctor shrugged. "Seems so."

"Or maybe Lucy's just a bit thick," Rose muttered, spitefully.

The Doctor tensed, surprise and disappointment lurching inside of him at her crude words. He could only imagine the Priestess' glare of reproach and indignation at Rose's thinly-veiled insult. It had been mean, and she would have bitten back much harsher than Rose could bear, for his Bondmate could be sometimes vicious in her admonishment when she felt someone had been treated unjustly. He loved her for that kindness she dealt to those around her and his Annika had never been one to tolerate meanness in anyone. Nor had he, but he chose to keep his mouth shut instead, not wanting to fight with Rose over something silly.

They moved on their way with the trays.

* * *

When Rose heard her father's voice, she followed the sound to the bottom of the staircase, the Doctor following. She stared at the figure of her father – not her father at the same time.

"Um, I'd just like to say… er… thank you to you all, for coming on this… er… this very special occasion."

Rose gazed up at him in wonder.

"My wife's... thirty-ninth."

The crowd chuckled as if he had told the funniest joke.

Pete flicked his thumbs up. "Trust me on this..." he joked.

The crowd laughed, appreciatively.

"So, without any further ado - here she is. The birthday girl... my lovely wife... Jackie Tyler."

Rose strained for a look, as the Doctor glanced at her with worry – she was much too invested in these people who were _not_ her parents – he feared the Priestess would be proved right. Jackie descended the staircase, smiling at the crowd who applauded and snapped photos. Rose stared at her, as if she had seen a ghost. Jackie took her place beside Pete.

Jackie beamed at the crowd. "Now, I'm not giving a speech – that's what my parties are famous for, no work, no politics, just a few good mates and plenty of black-market whisky." She winked, making the crowd laugh again. She laughed when she spotted the President. "Pardon me, Mr President!" He smiled back at her. "So, yeah! Get on with it. Enjoy, enjoy."

There were more cheers and Pete took Jackie's hand, as they descended the rest of the stairs to mingle with the crowd.

The Doctor moved to Rose. "You can't stay," he said, quietly. Even if there was some way of telling them.

Rose cleared her throat, unable to take her eyes off the perfect picture of her parents, arm-in-arm. "Course I can't. I've still got my mum at home, my real mum. I couldn't just leave her, could I. It's just... they've got each other. Mum's got no one," she said, mournfully.

The Doctor sighed. "She's got you! Those two haven't!" He pursed his lips. "All these different worlds, not one of them gets it right," he muttered.

"Rose!"

Suddenly, there were barking and yelps.

"There's my little girl!"

A small dog pottered over to Jackie, who picked her up.

"Come to mummy, come to mummy! Yes, good girl! Good girl, aren't you?" Jackie cooed at the dog in her arms.

Rose's face was pale, her eyes wide, as if she were a deer caught in headlights. The Doctor took one look at her and burst out laughing, sobering when she gave him a sharp look.

"Sorry," he said, sheepishly.

* * *

Jake, Rickey and Mrs Moore had stripped Mickey to his boxers and tied him to a chair, the Priestess in a similar position beside him, except still fully-clothed. They would have done the same to her, but Mrs Moore felt it unseemly and the Priestess threatened to geld them if they attempted to touch her and Jake and Rickey were entirely too frightened by the vicious look in her eyes that definitely promised the same fate as her words. Jake ran a device to scan the length of Mickey's body and the results were shown on the laptop Mrs Moore was using

Jake turned to Rickey. "He's clean. No bugs," he said, finally.

Rickey stared at Mickey with a bewildered look. "But this is off the scale. He's flesh and blood… how did that happen?"

The Priestess kept silent, unsure of whether she could trust these people with the truth, despite one of them being Mickey in this world.

"Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning...? Or your father had a bike?" Mrs Moore said, tentatively.

Rickey glared at Mickey and circled him, menacingly.

"Your name is Mickey, not Rickey?"

Mickey nodded. "Mickey. Dad was Jackson Smith. Used to work at the key cutters in Cliffton's Parade. Went to Spain, never came back," he said, a touch of bitterness entering at the end.

Rickey bent to get a closer look at him. "But that's _my_ dad. So... we're brothers?"

"Be fair. What else could it be?" Jake said, pointedly.

Rickey continued to stare at Mickey, his brow furrowed. "I don't know. But he doesn't just look like me, he is exactly the same. There's something else going on here, Jake." He turned to the Priestess. "Who are you, then?"

"His friend," the Priestess said, shortly, unwilling to give any more information.

The three hadn't tried out their scanner on her, simply assuming her to be another human due to her appearance, and she was thankful for it. She didn't relish the thought of explaining to them why she had two hearts or the strange physiology of her internal anatomy.

Mickey stared up at them, carefully. "So, who are you lot?"

Rickey straightened, circling their chairs again. "We-we are the Preachers. As in Gospel Truth. You see?" he gestured to his ears. "No ear plugs. While the rest of the world downloads from Cybus Industries, we- _we_ have got freedom. You're talking to London's Most Wanted. But target Number One is Lumic, and we _are_ going to bring him down," he said, proudly.

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "From your kitchen?" he asked, sarcastically.

Jake smirked.

Rickey scowled. "Have you got a problem with that?" he snapped.

"No, I quite admire your kitchen," Mickey said, quickly.

The laptop beeped.

Mrs Moore turned to them. "It's an upload from Gemini."

The Priestess looked up with a glint in her rich brown eyes. "Who is Gemini?" she asked, curiously.

"The vans are back. They're moving out of Battersea. Looks like Gemini was right. Lumic's finally making a move," Mrs Moore said, quickly, surveying the laptop.

Rickey grinned. "And we are right behind him. Pack up, we're leaving."

* * *

The Doctor pulled himself away from the crowds and walked down a corridor. With every step he took, he missed the Priestess' warm, reassuring form at his side. He desperately wanted to know what she was up to, but her mind was still closed off to him. He scowled, slightly petulantly. He didn't know why she had to run off with Mickey of all people. She could've just stayed here with him and Rose and they could have had a real adventure or some time alone, just the two of them, while Rose went off all moon-eyed over her parents from another universe.

 _But, no! She had to go off with stupid, boring Mickey just because she's all cross at me. It's not my fault I had to go with Rose. She's a loose cannon and I have to keep an eye on her, and Rose and I are way more interesting than Mickey. Why would she want to be with him instead of me? All she had to do was come with me and we could have left Rose to her parents and snuck off to do some real sleuthing, but she just had to coddle the stray._

Caught up in his rant, he almost walked past a dark, empty room with the door slightly ajar, but backtracked as he noticed a laptop open on the desk inside. He looked warily behind him to check that the coast was clear, then snuck quietly into the room, shutting the door behind him. He slid on his glasses and looked at the screen.

He smiled.

 _Jackpot_.

* * *

Rose watched from a distance as Jackie chat to the President, laughing raucously. Pete suddenly appeared right next to her, also watching Jackie.

"I remember her twenty-first. Pint of cider in the George," he said, casually.

Rose stared at her father, briefly, a part of her still in wonder that she was able to see and hear him so vividly beside her when he was actually dead.

She blinked tears away and offered him the tray. "Sorry, champagne?"

Pete smiled and took a glass. "Oh, might as well. I'm paying for it!"

They laughed, as Pete sipped the champagne.

"It's a big night for you..." Rose said, slowly.

Pete shrugged. "Well, for her... still, she's happy." His smile was fond when he looked at Jackie.

"Yeah, she should be. It's a great party."

"Do you think?" Pete asked, curiously.

Rose gave him a thumbs-up and grinned. "You can trust me...!" she joked.

"You can trust me on _this_ ," he corrected.

"That's it, sorry, yeah!"

They laughed again.

Rose cleared her throat. "So, um, how long have you two been married?"

"Twenty years," Pete told her.

"And no kids, or...?" Rose trailed off.

"We kept putting it off. She said she didn't wanna spoil her figure," Pete snorted.

"It's not too late. She's only forty," Rose said, helpfully.

"Thirty-nine," Pete corrected, grinning.

"Oh, right, thirty-nine!"

They chuckled.

"It's still too late... I moved out last month," Pete said, mournfully. "We're gonna keep it quiet, you know, it's bad for business."

Rose's smile faded and she nodded, swallowing hard. Even in a different universe, her parents just couldn't be happy. There was an uneasy pause.

Pete laughed, hesitantly. "Why am I telling _you_ all this?" he said, incredulously. "We haven't met before, have we?" Rose simply stared at him, chewing on her lower lip, wanting to say so much, but knowing she couldn't. Pete stared at her, brow furrowed. "I dunno, you just seem sort of-"

Rose took a step closer. "What?"

Pete considered her, not able to put his finger on why she seemed so familiar to him.

"I dunno, just sort of... right," Pete finished.

There was another pause and Pete shifted, uncomfortably, moving away to talk to someone else without another word to Rose, who swallowed back tears.

"Stevey, how's things? How's it going at Torchwood."

Rose was left alone.

* * *

"I don't know what they're doing, but they seem to be the target. Big house, fair bit of money... now we've got to find a way to get in."

From inside the van, Mrs Moore turned to Mickey and the Priestess.

"I've identified the address," Mrs Moore said, triumphantly. "It belongs to Peter Tyler. The Vitex millionaire."

Mickey and the Priestess exchanged an alarmed look.

"Pete Tyler?" Mickey stammered.

Mrs Moore nodded. "He's listed as one of Lumic's henchmen. A traitor to the state."

The Priestess closed her eyes, searching out the Doctor's mind. She felt him flare immediately and knew without much effort that the Doctor was inside the Tyler mansion.

 _Of course he is_ , she said, bitterly. _The Other forbid he object to the human girl's desires. Even if they have the ability to destroy the space-time continuum. But, no, Rose Tyler's ill-fated, stupid wish to reap time with parents that are not her own, who died long ago, comes above everything else._ She pursed her lips. _Even me_.

Mickey was pale. "But... but... we've gotta get in there," he said, earnestly, looking at the Priestess.

"Now, shut it, duplicate, that's what I just said." Rickey's voice came through the intercom. There was a sound of heavy feet marching. "What're they doing...?" Rickey sounded confused. "What the hell are they?" His voice was alarmed.

* * *

In the study of the Tyler mansion, the Doctor found a picture of the Cyberman anatomy

"The most precious thing on this Earth is the human brain..."

* * *

Jackie sat alone just outside on the porch. Rose spotted her through the window and followed her outside. Jackie settled herself down on a bench.

"Mrs Tyler, is there anything I can get you?" Rose asked, carefully, scouring her not-mother's face for any difference she could spot.

"The last twenty years back," Jackie joked, half-heartedly.

She laughed, tiredly, and Rose smiled uncertainly back.

"I can manage a glass of champagne... or a nice cup of tea?" Rose offered.

Jackie laughed. "Oh, that'd do me!"

And the ice was broken. Rose sat down next to Jackie, still holding the tray of champagne.

"My mum loves that." Rose smiled, wistfully. "End of a long night, she never goes straight to bed, she always stays up just to have that last cup of tea."

Jackie grinned. "Oh, I'm the same!"

Rose stared at her. "Two sugars..." she trailed off, a glint in her eyes.

"And me! Pete always says, you know..." Jackie stopped in her tracks, shaking her head. "... ah, never mind him," she murmured.

Rose bit her lip. "I was talking to him earlier," she said, casually. "He's a nice man. You know, big of a Jack the Lad, I s'pose, even if he has got money, but... he's a good bloke. Better than most." She stared at Jackie for a moment. "He's worth a second chance." She said, softly and earnestly.

Jackie turned, sharply, her face growing cold and angry. "Are you commenting on my marriage?" she asked, furiously.

Rose jumped back, swallowing hard, pale-faced. "No, I was just-" she trembled.

Jackie bared her teeth. "Who the hell do you think you are? You're staff! You're nothing but staff, you're just the serving girl, for God's sake," she snapped and Rose looked away, hurt. "And you are certainly not getting paid. Don't you dare talk to me." She growled.

Jackie slid to her feet and stormed back inside, leaving Rose alone on the bench, upset, tears threatening to dampen her cheeks. Suddenly, a floodlight snapped on, making Rose squint. Shadowy figures marched up the front lawn, but Rose was unable to see them properly because of the bright light behind them. They approached the mansion, with an ominous boom following them.

* * *

The Doctor was still inside the study, watching the presentation on the laptop.

"This is the ultimate upgrade. Our greatest step into cyberspace."

The Doctor's face paled.

 _Oh, hells._

"Cybus," he breathed.

Without a second glance, he dashed from the room. His mind swirled with intensity, boring down on the Priestess'.

' _Nikki, I get that you're angry at me and you're probably right like you always are, but we have a huge problem here and I don't mean Rose. Where in hells are you?_

* * *

Rose jumped to her feet and watched the figures marching closer. After a few moments, she turned on her heel and ran back inside.

Just as she entered the drawing room, the Doctor wound his way through the crowds and spotted her, both of them rushing to the window and looking outside the figures.

"It's happening again," the Doctor muttered, his fists clenching at his side.

 _Come on, Annika, answer me._

Rose looked at him, shocked. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen them before," the Doctor said, quickly.

The figures moved closer.

"What are they?"

"Cybermen," the Doctor hissed.

 _ANNIKA!_

 _I know._

Her voice was strong and sure in his head and his heart clenched.

Several of them smashed steel fists through the windows in order to gain entry to the house, which elicited screams from the crowd. They cowered as the Cybermen stepped through the full length windows. Soon, they had everyone in the room circled with no way out, and the President's communication device beeped.

"Mr Lumic," the President growled with distaste. "I forbade this."

"These are my children, sir. Would you deny my family?"

Rose surveyed the Cybermen with mute horror and confusion. "What are they? Robots?" she muttered to the Doctor under her breath.

The Doctor shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Worse than that."

"Who were these people?" the President asked.

"Doesn't matter."

Rose's eyes widened. "They're people?" she asked, incredulously.

"They were." The Doctor scowled. "Until they had all their humanity taken away. It's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body. With a heart of steel. All emotions removed."

Rose frowned. "Why no emotions?"

The Doctor stared at her, plainly. "Because it hurts."

The President's voice rose to a shout. "I demand to know, Lumic, these people, who were they?"

"They were homeless, wretched and useless until I saved them. And elevated them. And gave them life-eternal. And now, I leave you in their capable hands. Goodnight, sir. Goodnight, Mr President."

The President's communication device beeped, signalling that Mr Lumic had ended the conversation, when one of the Cybermen squared itself in front of the crowd.

"We have been upgraded," the Cyberman intoned.

The Doctor stepped forward. "Into what?" he asked, carefully.

"The next level of mankind. We are Human Point Two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us."

"I'm sorry." The President approached the Cyberman, cautiously. "I'm so sorry for what's been done to you." He turned and walked around. "But listen to me, this experiment ends. Tonight," he said, firmly.

"Upgrading is compulsory."

The President's chin tipped forward. "And if I refuse?"

"Don't," the Doctor said, quickly.

Rose glanced at him with worry.

"What if I refuse?" the President repeated.

The Doctor stepped closer to the President. "I'm telling you, don't," he said, urgently.

The President chose to ignore him. "What happens if I refuse?" he asked again.

"Then you are not compatible."

"What happens then?" the President challenged.

"You will be deleted."

The Doctor closed his eyes. _Oh, hells. Annika, this is going to be bad._

 _I can only imagine_. The Priestess' voice was dry and it made him smile despite the horror occurring before his eyes.

The Cyberman grasped the President, whose eyes widened shock, by the neck. He was engulfed by electric-blue light as he was brutally killed, causing the crowd to scream and try to run. The people desperately ran around, looking for a way out whilst some unfortunate individuals were attacked by the Cybermen. The room was in chaos, the Doctor grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her outside through one of the broken windows.

"There's nothing we can do!" the Doctor said, warningly.

Rose yanked her hand from his and tried to rush back inside. "My mum's in there!" she cried out.

The Doctor closed his eyes. _Omega, take me. This girl will be the death of me._

 _You are realising this now?_ the Priestess was almost taunting.

 _Oh, shut up. I'll deal with you later. You just had to go running off with the idiot, didn't you?_

 _I would not have you call him that,_ the Priestess growled. _And I was hardly going to accompany you while you acquiesced to the human girl's imprudent request to see individuals who are not her parents. Tell me, do you have a spine or not? Or does all thought of strength of will disappear at a mere word from her?_

 _Oh, so, you and Mickey the Idiot had a grand old time, did you?_ the Doctor scowled.

The Priestess' mind blazed red in his, searing a warning. _Better than I would have had with you and her. Or should I remind you that you are currently the one under attack from the Cybermen, while I am on the outside._

The Doctor resisted the urge to rub his neck, knowing she had cowed him. _Well… Rose wanted to see her parents_ , he told her, lamely.

 _They are not her parents. You, of all people, should know that, Time Lord,_ the Priestess snapped, his title coming out in a mocking way. _And now, you are the one besieged._

 _Okay, all right,_ the Doctor sighed. _I see your point. Can we finish this argument later?_

"She's not your mother! Come on!" he shouted, pulling her away again.

They ran up a slope, only to be greeted by another row of Cybermen. They quickly changed direction and ran around the side of the house, just when Pete leapt out of the window. Rose spotted him, her eyes lighting up with relief, and called him over to them.

"Quick! Quick!" she shouted.

Pete ran after them and they quickly reached the front of the house.

The Doctor looked around, desperately. "Pete, there's no way out!"

Pete's eyes widened. "The side gates!" he told them. He looked at the Doctor, as they ran in the direction he had pointed. "Who are you? How do you know so much?" he asked, incredulously.

The Doctor sighed. "You wouldn't believe it in a million years-"

They skidded to a halt as they were met by another row of Cybermen and were forced to change direction, just as two figures ran towards the house, holding guns.

Rose frowned, her eyes squinting. "Who's that?!" she croaked.

"Get behind me!" Rickey shouted, coming to a stop in front of them.

The Doctor, Rose and Pete crouched behind Rickey and Jake as they fired their guns at the onslaught of Cybermen. The Cybermen stopped marching and Rose started to fuss with Rickey's coat.

"Oh my God, look at you..." Rose cried out in relief, pulling him into a tight hug, much to Rickey's bewilderment. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Rickey pulled away from her, frowning. "Yeah, no offence, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?"

Just then, Mickey and the Priestess came running down the lawn towards them.

"Rose!" Mickey shouted, stopping when he reached them. "That's not me. That's like... the other one."

Rose stared at him, and then at Rickey, with wide, confused eyes, her face pale.

The Doctor had no interest in Rose's drama, instead pulling the Priestess into a tight hug and lifting her off the ground, trapping her mind against his. He pressed a furious kiss to the crown of her black hair.

"Took you long enough," he said, roughly, his hands sliding up her back.

"Yes, well, I was waylaid," the Priestess murmured, kissing him quickly on the curve of his jaw.

 _Never leave me like that again, got it,_ the Doctor growled, lowly.

 _You cannot chain me to your side like you attempted to do when we were in the Academy_ , the Priestess said, pointedly.

The Doctor almost flushed. _That was… an experiment. Yes, that's it. An experiment_ , he said, sheepishly.

 _You had handcuffs. It was mortifying and foolish,_ the Priestess said, dryly. _But, alas, I love you anyway._

Her eyes were soft and affectionate and he desperately wanted to kiss her, never mind the horde of Cybermen in front of them and the secret she wanted him to keep.

 _I love you, 'Nikki. I don't like fighting with you,_ the Doctor said, lamely.

 _Neither do I, my love_ , the Priestess crooned, sliding her hands up and down his arms. _But perhaps it is time we paid attention to our companions before they start to become suspicious of why we are holding onto each other for such a lengthy period of time._

 _Like I care what they think,_ the Doctor grumbled, but acquiesced, his body thrumming at her mere proximity.

"Oh, as if things weren't bad enough, there's two Mickey's!" the Doctor joked.

"Be nice," the Priestess scolded, smacking him lightly on the chest.

Rose scowled at the intimate gesture, but chose to focus on the Mickey-doppelganger situation.

"It's Rickey," Rickey corrected.

"But there's more of them..." Mickey gestured to the Cybermen.

The company, save for the Doctor and the Priestess, looked around them in fear as they were surrounded by Cybermen.

"We're surrounded..." Rose said, worriedly.

Ricky raised his gun.

The Priestess scowled, rolling her eyes. "Put the guns down, you fools. I assure you, bullets will not hinder them in any way," she said, sharply.

Jake chose to ignore her and fired a rally. The Doctor, incensed at the insult to his Bondmate, pushed his gun aside angrily, Rose noticing out of the corner of her eye how quickly he came to her defence.

"What did she _just_ say?!" he snapped. "Stop shooting, now!"

The Doctor straightened, looking at the Priestess briefly, and after a nod from her, addressed the surrounding Cybermen.

"We surrender! Hands up..." he told the others. Everyone put their hands up. "... there's no need to damage us, we're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed," he said, firmly.

"You are rogue elements," the Cyberman at the front said, surprisingly.

The Priestess tensed, stepping forwards to the Doctor's side. "But we surrender," she said, harshly.

"You are incompatible."

"But this is a surrender!" the Doctor said, desperately, his face etched in sudden panic at their non-response.

"You will be deleted."

"But we're surrendering! Listen to me, we surrender!" the Doctor shouted, frantically.

"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish under maximum deletion."

The Cyberman raised its arm and reached towards the Doctor, to the Priestess' horror as she gripped her sonic lipstick in her hand to the point where blood fled from her palm, while the company looked terrified.

"Delete. Delete. Delete!"

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : And there we have the end of the first episode of this two-parter. Hope you guys enjoyed it! We definitely saw some more of the Priestess' character here, especially her perspective on her relationship with the Doctor (it's definitely not perfect) and on her curse. She doesn't seem to have an optimistic outlook on her future, does she? But, I guess we'll have to see how the Priestess deals with what happens to her in the future. And she definitely bonded with Mickey here too, which is good, because I really like them together and both of them are in similar situations with their respective significant others. We saw less of jealous Rose in this chapter because I felt like she had more to focus on than her one-sided competition with 'Tess, but don't worry, I'm sure we'll see more of that in the future. One thing in particular I wanted to address, about the 'Lucy's a bit thick' comment, I felt like that was pretty out-of-line for Rose to say when she didn't even know Lucy and I thought she was just being catty for no reason because how dare the Doctor pay attention to a woman who wasn't her. So, I kind of expanded on the Doctor's reaction to that and had him relate that back to the Priestess.

Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter and I'll see you guys next time!

 **Reviews** :

 _Yuki Daviji_ : Thank you!

 _Bladewolf101_ : Unfortunately, not yet!

 _the stargate time traveller_ : I definitely agree! Oh, yeah, the Priestess was not going to react well in Journey's End. I can promise you that.

 _NicoleR85_ : I don't want to spoil what happens later on in this fic, so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut on that one lol.

 _lautaro94_ : Personally speaking, she would love to tell Rose what she and the Doctor are to each other, but she prioritises her duty as a Time Lady and someone who has those visions over anything else. And frankly, she doesn't trust Rose – I think she's earned that right, considering she died the last time around. Look, I'm afraid this fic is going to be Rose critical, so if that's something that bothers you, I can't advise you continue reading, honestly.

 _mybrainexploded_ : Yeah, the Priestess is still harbouring a lot of resentment though, which is starting to come out now, slowly but surely. Oh, yeah, Martha and the Priestess were going to be very close, without the same obstacles. I think her character deteriorated in season 2 and a lot fo that was because she had feelings for the Doctor.


	14. Age of Steel: Metropolis

**A/N** : Here's the first part to _Age of Steel_.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Some drama. A little angst.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 14**

 **Age of Steel: Metropolis**

" _You are rogue elements," the Cyberman at the front said, surprisingly._

 _The Priestess tensed, stepping forwards to the Doctor's side. "But we surrender," she said, harshly._

" _You are incompatible."_

" _But this is a surrender!" the Doctor said, desperately, his face etched in sudden panic at their non-respsonse._

" _You will be deleted."_

" _But we're surrendering! Listen to me, we surrender!" the Doctor shouted, frantically._

" _You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish under maximum deletion."_

 _The Cyberman raised its arm and reached towards the Doctor, to the Priestess' horror as she gripped her sonic lipstick in her hand to the point where blood fled from her palm, while the company looked terrified._

" _Delete. Delete. Delete!"_

The Doctor growled under his breath and pointed the power cell at the Cybermen, which shot out a golden light and bounded off one of them and onto the others, disintegrating them all at once and leaving dust on the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Rickey shouted.

"We'll have that instead, RUN!" the Doctor warned.

He grabbed the Priestess' hand and they ran for it, across the lawn, the others bounding after them. Finally, a blue van drove right in front them, driven by Mrs Moore, hooting her horn.

"Everybody in!" she shouted.

Pete turned on his feet, aiming to run back to the house, but the Doctor grabbed him and attempted to restrain him.

"I've gotta go back, my wife's in there," Pete protested.

The Doctor scowled, impatiently. "Anyone inside that house is dead. If you wanna help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've gotta come with us right now," he said, firmly.

Pete gave one last lost look at the house, gritting his teeth, and hurried back to the van.

"Come on, get a move on!" Mrs Moore said, hurriedly.

Rose was still staring at the house. The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a weary look and finally the Priestess stepped back, getting inside the van and allowing the Doctor to approach Rose. The Doctor watched her go with his heart sinking into his stomach. She hadn't forgiven him for doubting her, that was for sure. And knowing her – and he did know her, too well – she wouldn't be forgiving him for quite some time. It would require more than some major grovelling, and even then, it would only mean that she would deign to speak to him with something other than scorn on her tongue.

"Rose, she's not your mother," the Doctor said, with quiet and exasperated urgency.

Rose bit her lip. "I know," she confessed.

The Doctor grabbed her forearm, resolutely. "Come on," he said, grimly.

He pushed her in the direction of the van and they climbed into the back, the Doctor taking the empty seat beside the Priestess, while Rose chose – with just a sideline look at the Priestess' dark face, somehow knowing but loathing the fact that she wouldn't be welcomed in the Time Lords' proximity any time soon if the Priestess had something to say about it – to sit beside her father-who-was-not-her-father.

"Finished chatting?!" Mrs Moore asked, dryly. "Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" she muttered.

With that, they drove off.

* * *

The van was now driving along at a steady speed on the road, relatively calm. Rickey, who was sitting up at the front, glared through the grilling at the power cell, which the Doctor had passed to the Priestess and which the Priestess was now twisting in her palms.

"What was that thing?" Rickey asked, carefully.

"Technology," the Priestess said, shortly, not willing to offer any further information.

Mickey leaned in. "It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?"

The Priestess shook her head, placing it in the inside pocket of the Doctor's suit jacket, and smoothed out the wrinkles her black skinny jeans and sleeveless black cotton turtleneck. Her fingers grazed over the silver tribal necklace around her throat out of restlessness and she leaned back.

"It is on a revitalising loop. It will finish charging in around four hours," she said, simply.

"Right. So, we don't have a weapon anymore," Rickey said, angrily.

"Yeah, we've got weapons. Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him," Jake said, darkly, staring at Pete with undisguised animosity in his eyes.

"Leave him alone! What's he done wrong?" Rose shouted, shrilly.

Jake scowled. "Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government. And left Lumic in charge," he said, sarcastically.

Pete glared at him. "If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?"

"Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though," Rickey said, grimly.

"No one is executing _anyone_ ," the Priestess said, fiercely. "Or you will make _us_ your enemy." She placed a hand on the Doctor's thigh to indicate him as well.

"And take some really good advice, you don't wanna do that," the Doctor said, darkly.

"All the same... we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since 2005," Rickey swore.

Rose stared at Pete, taken aback, with sheer disappointment and disbelief clear as day on her face.

"Is that true?" her voice trembled as she voiced the question.

Pete looked uncomfortable, but didn't say a word in his defence.

"Tell 'em, Mrs M."

"We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations... the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week."

"Broadcast from Gemini?" Pete asked, slowly.

Rickey's eyes snapped to his. "And how do you know that?" he asked, suspiciously.

"I'm Gemini. That's _me_."

"Yeah, well you would say that," Rickey snorted.

"Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine." Pete raised an eyebrow.

Rickey and Jake glanced at one another, unsure of what to believe.

"That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services, and what do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van!" Pete sneered.

"No, no, no! But the Preachers know what they're doing. Rickey said he's London's Most Wanted!" Mickey protested.

Rickey looked uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's not exactly..."

Mickey frowned. "Not exactly what?"

"I'm London's Most Wanted for... parking tickets," Rickey confessed, sheepishly.

The Doctor and the Priestess shared identical smiles, while Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Great." Pete threw his hands up in the air.

"They were deliberate!" Rickey protested, defensively. "I was fighting the system! Park anywhere, that's me."

The Doctor lit up. "Good policy." He nodded, approvingly. "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested..." he trailed off and turned to the Priestess. "And you've already met the Priestess."

The Priestess offered nothing more than a nod.

"Actually, she never gave us her name," Jake admitted.

The Priestess smiled at him. "I would say that I intended to, but I would be lying."

"And I'm Rose. Hello!" Rose piped in, irritated that she had been forgotten once the Doctor had drawn attention to the Priestess and neglected to introduce her as well.

Pete snorted. "Even better. That's the name of my dog."

The Priestess raised an amused eyebrow and Rose glared, furiously, at her.

"Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side," he said, sarcastically.

Rose stared at him, something fierce and hopeful in her eyes that made Pete confused and uncomfortable. "I knew you weren't a traitor," she said, quietly.

Pete frowned. "Why's that, then?"

Rose glanced at the Doctor and the Priestess, who gave her identical warning looks.

"I just did," she said, lamely.

"They took my wife," Pete murmured.

Rose bit her lip. "She might still be alive," she offered.

Pete chuckled, harshly. "That's even worse. 'Cos that's what Lumic does. He takes the living... and he turns them into those machines," he hissed.

"Cybermen," the Priestess corrected.

Everyone looked at her.

"They are called Cybermen," the Priestess repeated.

"And I'd take those ear-pods off, if I were you," the Doctor said, pointedly.

Pete obliged him and handed them over.

"You never know... Lumic could be listening," the Doctor said, grimly, disabling them with his sonic screwdriver. "But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the City and inform the authorities. Because I promise you." He looked at the Priestess. "This ends tonight."

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Mickey, Pete and the rest of the Preachers were walking along the street, watching, with nothing but bemusement, as the people of this world marched in throngs towards the same destination, their faces and eyes glazed over as in a trance.

"What the hell...?" Jake mumbled.

Rose's head flashed around. "What's going on?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taking control," he said, darkly.

"Can't we just... I dunno, take them off?" Rose offered.

She reached forward to take the ear-pods out of one man, but the Doctor halted her.

"Don't!" he said, warningly. "Cause a brainstorm. Human race, for such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible." The Doctor shook his head in disdain. "Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life," he mused.

The Priestess nodded. "I believe that is the very philosophy behind bondage, discipline and sadomasochism play."

Everyone looked at her with disbelief.

"I apologise?" The Priestess looked around. "Was that not an appropriate comment to make? I find your human social conventions and protocols and cultural paradigms baffling to understand."

The Doctor stared at her as if he hadn't met her until this day, but she was surprised to see heat in his eyes as he spoke. Not that she was disgusted by it. Any attention, especially lust, from the Doctor was always welcome to her. She merely didn't understand the reason behind it.

Rose merely stared at their exchange, her teeth gritting out of effort not to say something harsh and biting. As more time passed, she felt herself get backed into a corner as the Doctor and the Priestess grew closer and closer. He was like her puppet, dangling on a string every time she spoke. She had the power to make him feel guilty like no one else. All Rose wanted to do was see her dead father and the Priestess couldn't even allow her that without passing her arrogant, superior judgment, and with one word from her, even the Doctor was against her. She understood that she was a Time Lady and the Doctor and her were all that were left of their race, and because of that, he felt the need to protect her, even take her side, but that didn't make for love, did it?

Rose knew that The Doctor and her had a connection. She knew they had been through enough over the year they had been travelling together to know that there was something there. She wasn't deluding herself. She was human and she would eventually die and the Doctor would go on, but why couldn't she and the Doctor be happy for the years they had together? Her mother moved on with her life after her father died, but that didn't make the years they had together any less special, any less significant. She could be the same for the Doctor. She knew if the Doctor chose the Priestess, it would only be because he was settling for her, that he thought he had to be with her in order to continue their race. But she would show him there was another way. That he deserved to be happy. With someone that he loved – how could he say all those things and do all those things and _not_ love her? – and who loved him in return. She knew she was that person. Not the Priestess. No matter how many hearts the Time Lady had, no one loved the Doctor the way Rose did.

The Doctor would eventually see that they belonged together.

And the Priestess would be humbled, having to accept that Rose was the one that the Doctor wanted. Not her.

Jake cleared his throat, doing away with the discomfort at the direction the conversation had taken. "Hey." Jake and Rickey were peering around the corner, crouching behind the wall. "Come and see."

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Mickey and Pete joined them in looking around the corner. A row of Cybermen marched alongside the people under the control of the ear-pods, all of them still heading in the same direction

"Where are they all going?" Rose asked, frowning.

"I imagine this Lumic must have a base of operation," the Priestess mused.

"Battersea." Pete nodded. "That's where he was building his prototypes."

Rose looked at Pete, curiously. "Why's he doing it?"

"He's dying," Pete explained. "This all started out as a way of life by keeping the brain alive. At any cost."

The Priestess scowled. "You humans have no comprehension of what immortality truly means," she said, grimly.

Even now, the thought of all that she had lost sent her hearts withering.

Rose glared at her and turned to the Doctor. "The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I?" she asked, pointedly. "That head…" She shot the Priestess an uneasy look. "Those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum."

The Priestess tensed at the mention of that Other-damned museum and the Other-damned man who had spent decades vivisecting her, but the Doctor threaded his fingers through hers, grounding her, bringing her back to him, while his mind flooded hers and softened the edges until he could feel her responding, her mind sinking back against him for strength and comfort.

The Priestess nodded. "There are Cybermen in our universe," she said, simply, her eyes haunted and her face pale.

The Doctor decided to take over. "They started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch right here on Earth," he explained.

Pete frowned. "What the hell are you three on about?"

Rickey shook his head. "Never mind that. Come on, we need to get out of the City."

The Cybermen were fast-approaching down the street.

"Okay, split up," Rickey reasoned. "Mrs Moore, you look after them. Jake, distract them, go right, I'll go left, we'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move." He said, sharply.

Rickey ran off in one direction Jake in the other. Mickey turned to the Priestess and Rose.

"I'm going with him," he said, fiercely, as if challenging an objection.

With that statement, he kissed the Priestess on the cheek and Rose on the mouth, before following Rickey.

 _He kissed you!_ the Doctor snarled.

 _On the cheek. I doubt it is cause for concern,_ the Priestess said, dryly.

 _He still kissed you. He touched you. No one's allowed to kiss you but me,_ the Doctor snapped.

 _Well, would you like to call him back and explain to him why he is not allowed to do that?_ the Priestess asked, curiously.

 _No! It's just… you're not supposed to be so friendly with him._ The Doctor grimaced. _Why him? He's not exactly interesting._

 _That is your opinion,_ rhe Priestess said, sharply. _I am of the opinion that Mickey is quite… fascinating. It matters to me not what your opinion is._ The Priestess' voice was cold.

Those simple words hurt the Doctor more than any physical injury ever could. It wounded him more than anything she had ever said to him before. And the Priestess had quite the temper.

 _Well_ , the Doctor said, hoarsely. _I guess that's that_.

"Come on, let's go," Mrs Moore said, quickly.

And they ran, just as the Cybermen marched towards them.

"There!" Mrs Moore gestured to the side alley, which they ran through, with some Cybermen in pursuit.

* * *

Rickey and Mickey came to a fork in the road and halted, out of breath, hunched over and talking over each other.

"Which way? I don't know where we are."

"Did they see us?"

"Do they know where we are?"

"I think they saw us. I bet they can see in the dark-"

"I bet they got satellites-"

"I bet they saw us in the dark-"

"They know where we are," Mickey and Rickey said at exactly the same time.

They stared at one another.

"I don't get it." Rickey shook his head. "What is it with you? You are exactly like me."

Mickey shrugged, dismissively. "I dunno. I reckon you're braver."

Rickey nodded. "Oh yeah. Ten times. Still, your friends aren't bad. I'll give you that," he said, grudgingly.

"Oh, that's the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose. I just tag along behind," Mickey confessed.

"Well, then you're not that bad," Rickey offered.

Mickey's face lit up at his approval. "D'you think?" he asked, worriedly, as if it couldn't possibly be true.

"Yeah, I suppose." Rickey shrugged.

They heard the sound of marching feet behind them and spun around to find the Cybermen approaching them.

"Cybermen." Mickey grimaced.

"Split up!" they both shouted.

And they dashed off in opposite directions.

* * *

The Cybermen marched down the street whilst the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Pete and Mrs Moore crouched hidden behind a pile of rubbish and dustbins. Rose clutched onto Pete's hand. The Priestess pressed herself against the Doctor's side, his hand warm in hers, as they waited, with baited breaths. In that moment, it didn't matter that there was tension or arguments that were never fought or pain that was never voiced. All that was of consequence was that she was Annika and he was Theta Sigma and they were whole together. The rest would simply be paid no heed, forgotten for being too confronting, too destructive, too discordant, too subversive, as was their way.

The Cybermen stopped as if they wanted to investigate the rubbish further, but the Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver in their direction and the blue light flashed, the Cybermen going on their way. Rose jumped to her feet and slid her hand out of Pete's. They glanced at one another and Pete simply stared at her with confusion, bewildered by the way she was behaving towards someone she had only met hours ago. They all stood warily and watched the Cybermen march off into the distance.

"Go," the Doctor whispered.

They crept out from behind the dustbins and ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

Rickey was running as fast as he could, but he knew the Cybermen were hot on his trail. Another group of them blocked his way and he was forced to change direction, running down a side alley and finding his way blocked again, this time by a metal fence, which he rattled on. But the gate was locked.

Mickey appeared on the other side.

"Come on!" he shouted.

Rickey grimaced and started to climb the fence.

Mickey shot a harrowed look at the Cybermen gaining on Rickey. Come on! Come on!" he yelled, with growing urgency.

But it was too late. One of the Cybermen was close enough to reach out and grab hold of Rickey's foot, its touch electrocuting him and causing him to shout in pain.

"No!" Mickey cried out.

Ricky fell backwards off the fence and landed in a limp heap on the ground, dead. Mickey, dismayed and stricken, looked from the body to the Cybermen, who were just standing there on the other side of the fence, watching him. He sniffed, stumbled backwards, and ran.

* * *

Jake ran back to where the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Pete were waiting.

"I ran past the river," he panted, hands on his knees. "You should've seen it, the whole City's on the watch. Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames."

Mickey ran down the street towards them, alone. They all turned at the sound of footsteps, and Jake's face lit up.

"Here he is!" Jake exclaimed.

Mickey did not reply as he came to a halt. Jake furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Which one are you?" he asked, worriedly.

Regret and sorrow were twisted on Mickey's face. "I'm sorry. The Cybermen. He couldn't..." he trailed off.

Jake lunged for him, grabbing him by his collar. "Are you Ricky? ARE YOU RICKY?" he shouted.

"Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" Rose asked, quietly.

"Yeah," Mickey murmured.

Rose ran to him and threw her arms around him. Jake didn't say a word.

"He tried. He was running..." Mickey pleaded with Jake, but he turned away. Mickey followed him. "There was too many of them."

"Shut it," Jake snapped, his face contorted with pain.

"There was nothing I could do." Mickey said, earnestly.

Jake rounded on him. "I said just SHUT IT. Don't even TALK about him. You're NOTHING, you are," he growled. "Nothing."

"That is enough," the Priestess intoned, coldly. "I understand you are grieving for your friend, but Mickey is not to blame for the death of your friend, and it is unjustified for you to redirect your grief onto him in this way. Your friend _and_ Mickey deserve better." She turned to Mickey, a fierce look in her brown eyes. "You will not listen to him; do you understand me? You are _not_ nothing." She said, grimly.

Mickey's eyes were red and damp with tears, but he nodded.

The Doctor stepped forward, his hand brushing the small of the Priestess' back to soothe her. He knew why the comment had struck the way it had. Over a millennium of thinking that all you were good for was a life as a crystal ball, the salvation of a race that would have seen her burn had she saved them all. No one, but the Doctor, not even her own father, had seen her as anything more than a weapon. No one but him had bothered to look beyond the dreams – a curse rather than a gift – and enigmatic eyes and a fate that forced her to bear a duty that she could not escape, and had seen the beautiful, kind, brave, intelligent, _amazing_ woman that she truly was.

 _I love your teacher voice_ , he commented, playfully, trying to bring the mirth back into her eyes.

And he succeeded.

 _I know you do_ , the Priestess purred.

 _Oh, I've discovered a new bedroom game. We have to play it_ , the Doctor said, excitedly.

The Priestess' mind rippled in the mental equivalent of an eye roll. _I imagine this game of yours has something to do with my 'teacher voice', as you so ridiculously put it?_

 _Oi! Don't mock the teacher voice!_ he admonished, teasingly. _And, well, you're right._

 _You have me intrigued_ , the Priestess hummed.

 _Oh, do I_? The Doctor waggled his eyebrows.

A spark shot across their bond and the Priestess tensed all her muscles to prevent herself from jumping when it finally settled between her thighs.

 _You-you… You will suffer for that_ , the Priestess growled.

 _Now I really can't wait_. The Doctor grinned, ecstatic partly because he would be having sex that night with the most beautiful girl in the universe, and partly because he had removed any traces of grief or doubt or insecurity from her eyes.

"We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on," the Doctor said, calmly.

The group nodded miserably.

* * *

They walked up a slope, which overlooked the river, to see Battersea on the opposite bank.

"The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place. To be 'converted'," the Doctor growled with disgust.

"We've gotta get in there and shut it down," Rose said, earnestly.

Mickey frowned. "How do we do that?"

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look.

"Oh, we'll think of something." He shrugged.

Mickey scowled. "You're just making this up as you go along!" he said, indignantly.

The Doctor grinned and the Priestess shook her head in fond amusement.

"Unfortunately, and much to my incredulity and chagrin, even I have to admit that his flair for spontaneity succeeds more often than not," the Priestess said, dryly.

"Yup," he drawled. "But I do it brilliantly."

He winked at the Priestess and even Mickey had to agree.

* * *

In the power station, on the bank of the Thames, Mrs Moore had her laptop open, and a 3D model was displayed on the screen.

"That's a schematic of the old factory. Look, cooling tunnels... underneath the plant... big enough to walk through," she remarked.

Everyone was crowded around the laptop on a bench, but for Jake, who stood some distance away, not really listening.

"We go under there and up into the control centre?" the Doctor offered, indicating a spot on the map.

"Hmm," Mrs Moore hummed in agreement.

"There's another way in," Pete added and everyone looked at him. "Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in..."

Jake finally strode over to them. "We can't just go strolling up."

"Or, we could... with these..." Mrs Moore took some ear-pods from her bag and handed them over to the Doctor and the Priestess. "Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd," she said, proudly.

"Then that's my job," Pete said, firmly.

The Priestess frowned. "You would have to show _no_ emotion. None at all. _Any_ sign of emotion would expose you."

Rose turned to Mrs Moore. "How many of those have you got?" she asked, curiously.

"Just two sets," Mrs Moore replied.

Rose nodded and looked at Pete. "Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie... I'm coming with you," she said, determinedly, jumping to her feet and stood next to Pete.

Pete's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why does she matter to _you_?"

Rose shook her head. "We haven't got time. Doctor, I'm going with him, and that's that." She tipped her chin up in defiance, staring at the Doctor and the Priestess as if daring them to refuse her.

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Priestess, who simply waved it off.

 _She is your human, not mine. You may make the decision,_ she said, loftily, uninterested.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her indifference, knowing that she was just trying to get under his skin, and looked back at Rose, sighing.

"No stopping you, is there?" he asked, knowing the answer, but still quite annoyed by her reckless decision.

For once, he would rather a companion who actually listened to him, as opposed to one who did as she pleased, without knowing the consequences of her actions, in a world that was not her own, where her knowledge was non-existent. But he supposed that was humanity in general: believing they knew best when in fact they were all walking around, out of sheer dumb luck more than anything else. And Rose was a prime example of that. Curtailing her actions would only result in her whinging the rest of the way through, and he would avoid that if he could. He had enough problems with Annika (and Omega knows she could hold a grudge) without Rose adding more than she already had.

"Nope." Rose grinned, triumphantly smirking at the Priestess, assuming the Doctor's acceptance of her decision was out of his belief in her ability to take care of herself.

The Doctor chucked her the ear-pods in his hands. "Tell you what... we can take the ear-pods at the same time. Give people their minds back. So they don't walk into that place like sheep. Jakey-boy?"

He and the Priestess led Jake further up the hill for a better look at Battersea and the zeppelin stationed above it.

"Lumic is transmitting the control signal and it must be originating from there." The Priestess flashed her sonic lipstick in the general direction of the power station and it flashed a red light. She smiled. "It is there, on the zeppelin. Can you see? It is a large transmitter."

"Good thing Lumic likes showing off," the Doctor commented, grinning.

"Will you be able to render it decommissioned?" the Priestess asked, curiously.

Jake smiled, pleased, in response. "Consider it done," he said, approvingly.

The Priestess nodded and the Doctor patted him on the shoulder before they went back to the others.

"Mrs Moore..." the Doctor smiled, charmingly. "Would you care to accompany us into the cooling tunnels?"

Mrs Moore smiled, gently, at the two. "How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" she asked, teasingly.

The Priestess took a deep breath. "We will attack on three flanks: above, between, below. If we reach the control centre, we will be able to deactivate the conversion machines."

"What about me?" Mickey asked, suddenly.

He was standing slightly apart from the group, forgotten. Again. But for the Priestess' shrewd eyes.

"Mickey! You can... ahm..." the Doctor trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepishly.

The Priestess rolled her eyes and she looked at Mickey, kindly. "I was hoping that you would agree to accompany Jake," she said, sweetly.

"No, he isn't!" Jake argued.

"Yes, he is," the Priestess said, impassively. "I would not send anyone out into an engagement without a partner. And you are the only one that does not have a partner. Therefore, Mickey will accompany you."

Jake rounded on Mickey. "I don't need you, idiot," he hissed.

"I'm not an idiot! You got that?!" Mickey snarled, angrily. He sighed and his voice lowered. "I'm offering to help," he said, gently.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

He walked off and Mickey followed him at a slower pace, the Doctor and Priestess watching closely.

"Mickey?" the Doctor called out.

Mickey turned back.

"Good luck," the Doctor said, soberly.

Mickey nodded. He stared at the Priestess, kindly. "Yeah, you too," he said, fiercely, not wanting anything to happen to the woman who had shown him more belief in one day than many others had shown him in his whole life. He looked at Rose. "Rose, I'll see you later." He said, quietly.

Rose shook her head. "Yeah, you better."

"If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS," the Doctor said.

He smiled at Mickey, for once his eyes intense and trusting, to which Mickey nodded.

"That's a promise," Mickey swore.

He walked away again with a smile on his face, his confidence restored. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the Doctor envelop Rose in a tight hug, Rose grinning up at him. His eyes drifted to the Priestess, who watched the two with inscrutable, but hurt eyes, her mouth set in a harsh line as she watched _her_ Bondmate – the blessed fool that she loved beyond anything else in all the universes – embrace a girl who was in love with him.

"Good luck," the Doctor said, vehemently.

Rose nodded.

Mickey turned away, his face clear of any emotion, but not before shooting the Priestess a comforting look, to which she gave him a sardonic smile.

* * *

A trap door opened into the cooling tunnels. Mrs Moore climbed down a ladder, followed by the Doctor and the Priestess.

"It's freezing here," Mrs Moore commented, rubbing her arms for warmth.

"Any sign of a light switch?" the Doctor asked, curiously, squinting in the darkness and holding onto the Priestess' hand just in case.

Mrs Moore laughed. "Can't see a thing. But I've got these..."

She rummaged through her bag and handed the Doctor and the Priestess a light that could be tied around his head.

"A device for every occasion..." Mrs Moore said, teasingly.

"Ooh!" the Doctor exclaimed, his face lighting up.

"Put them on," Mrs Moore urged, finding one for herself.

The Priestess grimaced as she put hers on. The miner hat didn't feel much like her style.

"Haven't got a hotdog in there, have you? I'm starving," the Doctor joked.

Mrs Moore laughed. "Of all the things to wish for! That's mechanically recovered meat!"

The Doctor sighed. "I know. It's the Cyberman of food." His eyes lit up. "But it's tasty."

Mrs Moore handed each of them a torch. "A proper torch as well."

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Let's see where we are."

They switched on their torches simultaneously and took a few steps forward. The first thing that the light caught was a lifeless Cyberman propped up against the wall, sending their hearts scurrying a beat as they recovered from the shock. Hundreds of Cybermen lined the cooling tunnels with empty eyes.

The Priestess fearlessly peered into the eyes of one of them. "They have already been converted," she commented. "However, they are merely paralysed." She turned to face the Doctor and Mrs Moore. "I suggest we move forward." She said, lightly.

The Doctor nodded and the two continued to walk, starting the journey down the cooling tunnels. After a moment's hesitation, Mrs Moore followed them. The Doctor paused and rapped one on the nose, or where the nose would be, just in case, but his action elicited no response.

"Let's go slowly. Keep an eye out for trip systems," the Doctor warned.

They edged slowly and warily down the tunnel, past lifeless Cyberman after lifeless Cyberman.

* * *

A huge truck drove away from the power station. A row of Cybermen marched in the opposite direction.

"Chamber six now open for human upgrading."

Rose and Pete darted along the side of the building, trying to remain unseen.

"Chamber seven now open for human upgrading."

A row of brain-dead people marched alongside the Cybermen. Pete and Rose remained crouched out of sight.

"Chamber eight now open for human upgrading."

Pete gestured to the ear-pods. "Just put them on. Don't show any emotion. No signs, nothing. Okay?" he said, warningly.

"Don't worry. We can do it," Rose said, reassuringly.

"Chamber seven now open for human upgrading."

They put their ear-pods in place.

"We could die in here. Why are you doing this?" Pete asked, confused.

Rose shrugged. "Let's just say I'm doing it for my mum and dad," she said, vaguely. "Right, let's go."

They moved out of their hiding place.

"Chamber eight now open for human upgrading."

Pete squeezed Rose's hand, before they moved into the line of people filing into the building for upgrading.

"Chamber nine now open for human upgrading. Chamber ten now open for human upgrading. Chamber eleven now open for human upgrading."

Rose and Pete filed after the other humans, in line, not even a flicker of emotion displayed on their faces.

* * *

Jake climbed a ladder to the roof of the building, over which the zeppelin is parked, smiling as he reached the top. Mickey followed him. Jake crept stealthily behind a wall to avoid being noticed by the guards standing beneath the zeppelin, and beckoned to Mickey who joined him.

"Two guards. We can take them," Jake said, confidently.

"Don't kill them," Mickey said, warningly.

Jake scowled. "Who put _you_ in charge?" he asked, sharply.

Mickey rolled his eyes, his face darkening. "If you kill them, what's the difference between you and a Cyberman?"

Jake paused, seeing the reason in Mickey's comment. "Well, I suppose we could use these."

He handed Mickey a small, corked bottle.

"Smelling salts?" Mickey frowned in confusion.

Jake snorted "Bit stronger than that. One of Mrs Moore's little tricks. Should knock them out. Three, two, one-"

They ran out from behind the wall and crept up behind the guards, grabbing them from behind and shoving the 'smelling salts' under their noses, rendering the guards unconscious in seconds.

"There's gotta be more guards on board," Mickey remarked.

Jake grinned in response. "Then let's go get them."

They started up the ladder to the zeppelin.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Mrs Moore were still making their way surreptitiously along the tunnel.

"How did you get into this, then? Rattling along with the Preachers?" the Doctor asked, curiously.

Mrs Moore smiled, gently. "Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus Industries. '95. 'Til one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techy, so I... I just sat down and taught myself everything." She shrugged.

"And your husband? I am assuming you are married by reason of the 'Mrs'?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow.

Mrs Moore laughed. "Well, he's not called 'Moore'. I got that from a book, 'Mrs Moore'. It's safer not to use real names." Her face fell. "But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids." Her eyes were haunted. But she shook it off quickly and looked at them. "What about you too? Married? Got any family, or...?"

The Doctor smiled. "We're… married. I guess you could say." He looked down at the Priestess, seeing the warmth in her eyes. "And family…" And just there, the Priestess' face twisted with grief that left him miserable. "Well… it's a long story," he said, vaguely. "And we have each other. That's all we need. Right, 'Tess?"

"Of course," the Priestess murmured, threading her fingers in his. She turned to Mrs Moore and cocked her head. "If you would not take offence, may I ask you what is your true name?" she asked, curiously.

"Angela Price," Mrs Moore promptly replied.

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded, smiling.

"Don't tell a soul," Mrs Moore hummed.

The Doctor softened. "Not a word," he promised.

A Cyberman's hand twitched slightly, causing them to stop.

Mrs Moore bit her lip. "Doctor? Priestess? Did that one just move?" she asked, scared.

The Doctor shook his head, exchanging a look with the Priestess. "It's just the torchlight. Keep going, come on."

Another one, right in front of them, turned, beyond doubt.

"Now, that one moved," the Priestess remarked, her fingers tightening around the Doctor's.

The Doctor swore under his breath. _Omega help us._ "They're waking up. _Run_!" he shouted.

They raced down the cooling tunnel as fast as they could. As they went, the Cybermen sprung to life, one after another. They began to march forwards just as the Doctor, the Priestess and Mrs Moore reached the ladder at the end of the tunnel, scrambling to climb it.

"Get up! Quick! They're coming!" Mrs Moore yelled.

The Priestess, who headed them, attempted to open the seal with her sonic lipstick, her face fierce with concentration.

"Open it! Open it!" Mrs Moore said, hurriedly.

The Priestess succeeded and reached forwards, tossing the door aside, with a strength that surprised even the Doctor.

"Come!" she said, sharply, to the Doctor and Mrs Moore.

They climbed up the ladder as fast as they can.

"Quick! Quick!" Mrs Moore looked beneath her at the approaching Cybermen.

"Come on! Come on!" the Doctor growled, furiously.

They climbed out of the trapdoor, while the Cybermen followed, but they managed to slam the door closed just in time, the Doctor sealing it with his sonic screwdriver.

"Oh, good team, Mrs Moore!" the Doctor exclaimed, winking at the Priestess and smiling at Mrs Moore, who nodded, approvingly.

* * *

Rose and Pete now filed along inside the factory.

"Units upgrading now five-thousand-five-hundred. Repeat: six-thousand-five-hundred and rising."

They walked along, feigning a lack of emotion, along with hordes of others. A Cyberman stepped out in front of Rose and prevented her from going any further.

"You will wait."

It moved on.

Pete touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, worriedly.

Rose shook her head, fear etched on her face. "No," she said, frightened.

"Chamber Six now open for human upgrading."

The people filed forwards, ready to be upgraded. Flames aligned themselves above large incinerators in each of the chambers.

"All reject stock will be incinerated."

A woman walked into a cell, the doors closing on her.

Pete looked around. "Any sign of Jackie?" he asked Rose.

A Cyberman turned at the sound of his voice and Pete froze, dread sinking into his bones. The Cyberman considered him for a moment and plodded with heavy feet over to him.

"You are Peter Tyler. Confirm: you are Peter Tyler."

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : There was the first part to _Age of Steel_. As you guys can probably see, things aren't so great marriage-wise with the Doctor and the Priestess. I wonder how they're going to resolve this. And I hope you can see the Doctor's changing attitude towards Rose. While he still cares for her a great deal, he's beginning to see that she's causing a lot of problems and making stupid choices and she refuses to listen to reason, which leaves him in the doghouse with 'Tess and he hates that. And as for Rose, I hope you guys enjoyed the little insight into her feelings about this 'competition' between her and the Priestess. Of course, we all know it's all in her head, but I wonder what'll happen in the future. And there was even some Mickey-'Tess bonding in this chapter as well. She's quite protective of him, even to the point where she gets pretty pissed at the Doctor for suggesting that he's not worth much. But I do love exploring their relationship, because right now they're exactly in the same place, so they get each other in a way that the Priestess doesn't really find with a lot of people.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _the stargate time traveller_ : Yeah, he's actually incredibly dismissive and quite often cruel to people around him. And we're supposed to excuse that because he's an alien, but I don't think 9, 11 or even 12 were that clueless.

 _LetsBeFrenemies_ : Thank you!

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _lautaro94_ : Well, considering this is mainly from the Priestess' POV, it's not going to happen. And I don't particular consider the Priestess selfish in this, but to each their own.


	15. Age of Steel: Ghost in the Shell

**A/N** : And here's the finale to _Age of Steel_.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Some drama. A little angst.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 15**

 **Age of Steel: Ghost in the Shell**

 _Pete looked around. "Any sign of Jackie?" he asked Rose._

 _A Cyberman turned at the sound of his voice and Pete froze, dread sinking into his bones. The Cyberman considered him for a moment and plodded with heavy feet over to him._

" _You are Peter Tyler. Confirm: you are Peter Tyler."_

"Confirmed," Pete replied, uncertainly.

"I recognise you. I went first. My name was Jacqueline Tyler."

"No!" Rose cried out in dismay and grief, before she could stop herself.

" _What_?!" Pete shouted.

The Cyberman who used to be Jackie took a step backwards. "They are unprogrammed. Restrain."

"You're lying," Pete said, desperately. "You're not her! You're not my Jackie!"

Several Cybermen stepped forwards, preparing to restrain him and Rose, and Pete lunged forwards to the Cyberman.

"No. I am Cyber-form. Once I was Jacqueline Tyler."

"But you _can't_ be..." Rose whimpered, horrified. "Not her...!" Tears flooded her eyes.

"Her brain is inside this body," the Cyberman explained.

Pete shook his head, his face contorted with pain, as he looked at the Cyberman, beseechingly. "Jacks, I came to save you."

"This man worked with Cybus Industries to create our species. He will be rewarded by force. Take them to Cyber Control," the Cyberman said, simply, as if Pete's heartfelt declaration had not moved it at all.

The Jackie-Cyberman stomped away, and Rose and Pete were grabbed from behind and marched away.

"They killed her... they just took her and killed her!" Rose said, hoarsely.

Pete shook his head, determined. "Maybe there's a chance, I dunno. Maybe we can reverse it," he said, hopefully.

Rose grimaced. "There's nothing we can do," she said, weakly.

"But if... if she remembers..." Pete trailed off.

They turned and strained to find Jackie, as there were hordes and hordes of Cybermen gathered in the one place, and they were all identical.

Pete's eyes widened. "Where is she? Which one was it? Which one was her?" he asked, helplessly.

Rose moaned. "They all look the same!"

They were shoved roughly forwards by the Cybermen who had metal grips on their forearms.

* * *

After successfully drugging yet another guard, Mickey and Jake managed to break into the control room of the zeppelin.

Jake looked at Mickey, approvingly. His lips pursed when he saw that the room was deserted. "Nobody's home. Find the transmitter controls," he ordered.

Mickey frowned, his eyes travelling over the array of machinery. "What do they look like?" he asked, curiously.

Jake scowled. "Well, I don't know, they might have 'TRANSMITTER CONTROLS' written in big red letters, just look!" he snapped.

They both started to search the control room. When Mickey turned around, he jumped when he saw a Cyberman standing in a dark alcove.

"Cyberman!" Jake shouted, aiming the barrel of his gun at it.

However, the Cyberman didn't move. Confused, Jake moved closer and switched on a light, illuminating the alcove, so that he could inspect the Cyberman further. Mickey also took a few steps closer so that he could examine it in closer detail as well. After a few moments, staring into its dead eyes made it apparent that it was lifeless.

"It's dead. I don't think it was ever alive," Mickey murmured. He tapped it on the head, which sounded hollow. "It's empty. No brain. It's just a robot suit. It's for display." He grimaced.

"Okay," Jake breathed a sigh of relief. "Transmitter," he said, pointedly, returning their attention back to the task at hand.

The two headed off in different directions of the control centre, desperately searching for any sign of the transmitter they had to shut down.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, and Mrs Moore edged along the dark, metal corridor. Suddenly, a Cyberman stepped out in front of them, looming over them, causing them to take a step back in shock and fear.

"You are not upgraded," the Cyberman intoned.

Mrs Moore tipped her chin up, defiantly. "Yeah? Well, upgrade _this_ ," she growled.

She threw a small metal device at the Cyberman, which latched onto its chest. It burst into sparks and electrocuted the Cyberman, which shook and jerk and then slumped to the floor. The Doctor and the Priestess were equally delighted.

"What the hell was that thing?!" the Doctor asked, grinning.

The three approached the felled Cyberman.

"Electromagnetic bomb." Mrs Moore shrugged. "Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cyber-suit."

The Priestess nodded, approvingly. "You presumed correctly," she murmured. "Perhaps we should examine it." She offered, her sonic lipstick ready in her hands.

The Doctor nodded and he took out his sonic screwdriver, both of them bending down and holding the tips to the Cybus logo on the fallen Cyberman's chest.

"Now... know your enemy... and the logo on the front... Lumic's turned them into a brand," the Doctor said, scathingly.

The Priestess carefully removed the steel casing upon which the logo rested, so that they could see inside the Cyberman.

"Majority of their insides is made of metal, but…" the Priestess began, slowly.

She reached inside the chest cavity and pulled out bodily tissue belonging to a human.

Mrs Moore grimaced. "Is that flesh?"

The Doctor nodded. "Hm... central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it _is_ a living thing," he amended. "Oh, but look..." He carefully twisted an electronic chip between his fingers. "Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything."

Mrs Moore frowned. "But why?"

"The brain continues to be a human brain," the Priestess answered. "If it could see itself, realise what it had become…" she trailed off. "They would go mad."

Mrs Moore's eyes dawned. "So, they cut out the one thing that makes them human," she finished.

The Doctor shrugged. "Because they have to."

"Why am I cold?" the Cyberman asked, suddenly.

The three turned their attention to the supposedly dead Cyberman corpse.

"Oh, my God. It's alive. It can _feel_ ," Mrs Moore breathed.

"And we deactivated the inhibitor," the Priestess added.

The Doctor leaned over the Cyberman, touching its head with two fingers, compassionately. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he murmured.

"Why so cold?"

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Can you remember your name?" he asked, curiously.

"Sally. Sally Phelan."

Mrs Moore pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're a woman..."

"Where's Gareth?" the Cyberman asked.

"Who's Gareth?"

"He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before," the Cyberman pleaded.

The Priestess closed her eyes in grief.

"You're getting married," Mrs Moore said, hoarsely.

"I'm cold. I'm so cold," the Cyberman whispered.

The Priestess leaned down beside the Doctor. "Sleep now, Sally. Everything will be at an end soon," she said, lowly, her voice a comforting dulcet tone that she used to lull her children to sleep once.

Her sonic lipstick flashed inside the Cyberman's chest cavity and the blue light that signified life faded.

"Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing," the Doctor murmured, watching a myriad of emotions pass on the Priestess' face before it finally landed on her predictable emotionless mask. He ached to comfort her. And suddenly, it dawned on him. "'Cause that's the key. "The emotional inhibitor: if we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head..."

Mrs Moore nodded.

"They would realise what they have become," the Priestess finished, knowingly.

The light in her eyes was pride. And it made him warm inside to see her finally approving something that he had said or done. Oh, she was still angry at him. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't simply forgive him for his disrespect. Knowing that she was angry with him was as if he had some irritating itch that he couldn't scratch for the life of him. And Omega knew that they wouldn't be able to resolve their problems until this parallel-universe-Cybermen mess had been settled. If they ever would. The more time that passed with him and Annika, the Doctor began to realise there was so much that hadn't been said between them. And it hurt to know that Annika had willingly kept secrets from him, that she had hidden what she was feeling in order to protect herself or spare her feelings or whatever her reason may be.

He just didn't know how to fix this.

He didn't know what to say to make everything better, to make everything as it used to be.

It seemed that with every passing moment, with every word he said, the distance just opened wider and wider between them, with both of them existing on opposite edges of the universe, and there didn't seem to be a way to close it. No matter what he said, it came out wrong or inadequate or inconsiderate, and it just made her more disillusioned with him. And it only aggravated the on-again, off-again idea that burrowed itself deep into his mind and appeared every now and then just to cause him grief that she may still be displeased with his regeneration, that while he may be physically pleasing to her, she would prefer a different body, a different personality to the one he currently had. A personality that used to make her smile with each and every word, be it spoken or unravelling across their Bond. She used to think he hung the planets, and now he was lucky if she chose to speak more than a few words to him.

He just wanted everything to be as it used to be. But perhaps, there was something wrong with that too.

"And what happens then?" Mrs Moore asked, curiously, snapping the Doctor out of his introspection.

"I think it would kill them," the Doctor answered, solemnly. His brow furrowed, as he looked at the Priestess, helplessly. "Could we do that?"

The Priestess pursed her lips, the decision weighing on her as well. "If we do not, those remaining will be killed as well," she said, pointedly.

The Doctor flinched and a part of her – the part that desperately needed the Doctor like she needed air or sunlight – ached to comfort him, draw him into an embrace and soothe the lines in his face.

Mrs Moore nodded, reluctantly. "There's no choice, Doctor. It's got to be done."

The Doctor and the Priestess were still staring at the Cyberman's felled body, when Mrs Moore jumped to her feet. Suddenly, a Cyberman appeared right behind her, grabbing her by the neck and killing her instantly. The Priestess started and slid to her feet along with the Doctor, both staring at Mrs Moore's corpse with horror.

"No! No! You didn't have to kill her!" the Doctor snapped.

"Sensors detect a binary vascular system. You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis," the Cyberman intoned.

The Priestess twisted her head, seeing that they were surrounded, and allowed the Doctor and her to be led away by two other Cyberman, all the while disgust unveiled on their faces.

* * *

Jake went over to Mickey, who was standing beside a panel, which was below a sign that displayed 'TRANSMITTER CONTROLS' in large letters.

"The transmitter controls are sealed behind here," Mickey explained. "We need like, an oxyacetylene or something." He mused.

"Oh, no, I forgot to bring it with me," Jake said, sarcastically.

Mickey scowled. "Well, then, what do we do?" he snapped.

Jake shrugged. "We'll crash the zeppelin," he offered.

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "With us inside it?" he asked, dryly.

Jake's eyes lit up. "We could set it to automatic and then just leg it! Let's have a look."

They went over to the controls and Jake tapped on the keyboard, his face falling when he saw that the system was locked.

"There's gotta be an override..." Jake muttered.

Mickey shoved Jake out of the way, unceremoniously. "Let me have a go. I'm good with computers, trust me," he said, reassuringly.

Mickey tapped on the keyboard carefully, and Jake watched in curiosity.

Little did they know that a small red light had begun to flash and beep quietly behind the seemingly deactivated Cyberman in the control room.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were marched into the main control room of Battersea, their faces falling when they saw that Pete and Rose were held captive there as well.

"We've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there, they can rescue us… oh, well, never mind," the Doctor said, sarcastically. He gritted his teeth. "You okay?" He asked, reluctantly, shooting a wary look at the Priestess out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah. But they got Jackie," Rose murmured.

"We were too late. Lumic killed her," Pete said, roughly.

The Doctor scowled, looking around. "Then where is he?" he asked, loudly. "The famous Mr Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?"

"He has been upgraded," one of the Cyberman answered.

"So, he's just like you?" the Doctor mocked.

"He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller."

They all turned as the sliding doors opened. Mr Lumic, now in the form of a Cyberman, rolled through them. He was sitting on an elaborate chair, covered with wires and tubes and an intricate life support system.

"This is The Age of Steel and I am its Creator," Lumic intoned.

* * *

"Almost there," Mickey muttered, continuing to tap on the computer frantically.

"Not bad work," Jake said, approvingly.

Just then, he heard a sound and looked around to see the not-so-dead Cyberman behind them flex its fingers. It raised its arm and stepped out of the alcove.

"It's moving!" Jake shouted, warningly. They moved hurriedly out of the way. "You said it was dead!" he accused.

Mickey scowled. "Yeah. But he's still a steel robot," he said, pointedly.

Jake aimed his gun at it, but Mickey pushed his down quickly.

"Wait a minute. Hey, Cyberman, over here," he goaded. The Cyberman turned, expectantly. "Come on, you brainless lump of metal." He muttered with anticipation. It stomped towards them, and Mickey beckoned it forward with every step. "Come and have a go!"

The Cyberman raised its fist, ready to strike, but Mickey and Jake ducked out of the way at the last second, and its fist slammed into the transmitter controls. It explodes with blue electricity, destroying both the controls and the Cyberman.

"The transmitter's down!" Mickey exclaimed, gleefully, him and Jake hugging excitedly.

* * *

Suddenly, the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Pete could hear the screams clearly from Lumic's control room. The Cybermen looked around, wondering what was happening.

"That's my friends at work. Good boys! Mr Lumic, I think that's a vote for free will," the Doctor crowed, winking dramatically.

"I have factories waiting on seven continents. If the ear-pods have failed, then Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world."

* * *

"Hold on, I've logged on to Cyber Control," Mickey explained.

His eyes surveyed the hacked footage of a security camera that overlooked the control centre.

Mickey beamed. "They're alive! The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose, there they are!"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Never mind them, what the hell is _that_ thing?" he asked, pointing at Lumic.

Mickey shushed him. "Has this thing got sound?" He patted on the keyboard in a successive order that allowed him audio.

* * *

"I will bring peace to the world. Everlasting peace – and unity – and uniformity," Lumic intoned.

"And imagination?" the Doctor asked, incredulously. "What about that? The one thing that lead you here. Imagination, you're killing it, dead!" he snapped.

"What are your names?" Lumic asked the two Time Lords.

"I'm the Doctor."

"The Priestess."

"Redundant titles. Doctors and priestesses need not exist. Cybermen never sicken. Nor do they need faith."

The Doctor stepped forward as his eyes lit up. "Yeah, but that's it! That's exactly the point!" he said, despairingly, shaking his head. "Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man... I'd call you a genius, except we're in the room." He winked at the Priestess, who rolled her eyes. "But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is _so_ human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, – hell, even faith – then what's there to strive for? Eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop! You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts. Lacking the one thing that makes this planet so _alive_. _People_. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people," he said, fiercely.

"You are proud of your emotions?"

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, sincerely.

"Then tell me, Doctor, have you known grief and rage and pain?"

The Doctor chanced a look at the Priestess' face, his hearts clenching at her ashen face. "Yes. Yes, I have," he said, sombrely.

"And they hurt?"

"Oh, yes."

"I could set you free. Would you not want that? A life without pain?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You might as well kill us," he said, simply.

"Then I take that option."

"It is not yours to take," rhe Priestess said, coldly. "You are a _Cyber_ Controller. You have no power over me or anything with blood running through its veins."

"You have no means of stopping me. I have an army. A species of my own."

The Doctor smacked his forehead, exasperated. "You just don't get it, do you? An army's _nothing_. 'Cause those ordinary people, they're the key." He glanced at the security camera, purposefully. "The most ordinary person could change the world," he murmured, pointedly.

* * *

Mickey nodded at this.

* * *

"Some ordinary man or woman... some _idiot_..." he stressed.

The Priestess rolled her eyes.

* * *

Mickey's head jerked up and he stared, hope dawning in his eyes.

* * *

"All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers... say, the right codes... say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him. 'Cause even an idiot knows how to use computers these days," he said, wistfully.

* * *

Mickey's mouth dropped open.

* * *

"Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords... knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under..." He frowned, thoughtfully. "What was it, Pete? Binary what?" he asked, innocently.

"Binary 9," Pete said, loudly.

* * *

"Binary 9," Mickey whispered.

He began to type, frantically. The code started to appear number by number on the screen.

* * *

"An _idiot_ could find that code," the Doctor said, dramatically. "The cancellation code. And he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting." He looked, meaningfully, into the camera. "Anything to save his friends..." He trailed off.

* * *

"Your words are irrelevant," Lumic said, scathingly.

"He has a predisposition for talking excessively," the Priestess interjected, simply.

The Doctor, grinning, shrugged. "It's a problem," he said, nonchalantly. He looked back at Rose, carefully. "Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose. For all our long chats. On your _phone_."

* * *

"The phone..." Mickey trailed off, taking out his mobile.

* * *

"You will be deleted."

The Doctor rocked back on his heels. "Yes, delete, control, hash, all those lovely buttons."

* * *

Mickey typed the numbers into his phone as a text message.

* * *

"Then, of course, my particular favourite: _send_."

* * *

Mickey pressed 'send'.

* * *

"And we should not forget how you seduced these people originally," the Priestess hummed in agreement.

Rose's phone beeped, indicating that she had just received a message.

"The entirety of the technology in this world is compatible with everything else..." she finished, watching as the Doctor loitered by one particular computer in anticipation.

"It's for you." Rose smirked, throwing the Doctor her phone, which he caught.

"Like this," he said, dramatically.

He shoved the phone unceremoniously into a port. All hell broke loose and the Cybermen clutched onto their heads, moaning, as the code flashes on every single computer screen.

* * *

Mickey and Jake jumped up and down in delight.

"Yes!" they crowed.

* * *

The Cybermen, all over the factory, fell around and started twitching, crying out and clutching their metal skulls. One of them caught sight of their reflection in a piece of metal and started to whimper and touch its face and fingering its reflection.

The Priestess stared at them, mournfully, and the Doctor placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder, sharing in her sadness.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, gazing at the felled Cybermen.

"What have you done?" Lumic asked, furiously.

"We have returned their souls," the Priestess said, coldly. "They now see what you have done to them, Lumic. And they _choose_ to die."

With that, the Doctor grabbed the Priestess by the wrist and tugged her from the room in a run, Rose and Pete following them.

"Delete! Delete! Delete!"

* * *

Small explosions erupted all over the factory, whilst the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Pete ran for their lives, looking for a way out. Upon the sight of a door, they raced towards it and the Doctor threw it open, but their way beyond was blocked by wailing Cyberman. The Doctor cursed under his breath and shut it again.

"There's no way out!" he exclaimed, desperately.

* * *

Jake began to turn the wheel of the zeppelin.

"What're you doing?" Mickey asked, confused.

"We've gotta get away. If that factory blows up, this balloon's gonna ignite!" Jake explained.

 _But the Doctor, 'Tess and Rose are still in there_ , Mickey thought, worriedly.

"Take it back!" he said, angrily.

"Mickey, they've had it!" Jake protested.

"I said TAKE IT BACK!" he shouted.

The zeppelin started to drift away from the factory, but Mickey shoved Jake away from the wheel.

"We're not leaving them behind," he said, firmly, turning the ship the other way. Jake attempted to intervene and turn it the opposite way again, but Mickey pushed him away unceremoniously. "There's no way we're leaving them behind!"

His voice was fierce with determination, as he turned the wheel.

Mickey thrust his mobile into Jake's hand.

"Hold it!" he ordered.

Jake placed at Mickey's ear.

"Rose?" he called out, hesitantly. "Rose, can you hear me? Head for the roof!"

* * *

Rose turned to the Doctor, the Priestess and Pete.

"It's Mickey. He says 'head for the roof'," she said, briskly.

The four of them ran up a flight of stairs, trying to avoid the explosions and flames in their way. At some point, the Priestess reached the top of the ladder to the roof, and she leapt over the wall, helping Rose with the same, as they were followed by the Doctor and Pete. They stopped in their tracks when they saw the zeppelin waiting for them.

"Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?!" Rose asked, incredulously.

Mickey snorted. " _Playstation. Just hold on, Rose. I'm coming to get you._ "

Rose, the Doctor, the Priestess and Pete bolted forwards, flinching at the random explosions all around them.

* * *

Jake fumbled with the wheel. "You can't go any lower-" he protested.

"I've got to!" Mickey snapped.

"You're gonna crush them!" Jake protested, harshly.

Mickey finally looked at him, a guilty look rising on his face as he realised the logic in what Jake had just said.

"There's got to be something. There's _got_ to be," Mickey said, desperately. His eyes suddenly dawned with realisation. "Oh, _yes_."

He rushed over to a lever and pulled it sharply, which opened a hatch in the floor and released a rope ladder down to the roof.

* * *

When Rose, the Priestess, the Doctor and Pete saw the rope ladder, they ran towards it.

"You've got to be kidding," the Doctor muttered under his breath. "'Tess, get up!" He ordered. "Rose, you too!"

 _Wow, what a great plan_ , the Doctor's voice was loaded with derision. _Looks like Mickey the Idiot really came through_.

 _Oh, hush,_ the Priestess scolded. _I cannot see any other way in which to board the zeppelin. Are you able to?_ There was a telling pause in her thoughts. _He is saving our lives, Theta. You should remember that, in lieu of scorning his attempts to do so._ She said, pointedly.

 _Do you have to pick faults in everything I say?_ the Doctor asked, irritated.

 _Must you be so rude to everyone you do not consider worthy of your time and effort,_ the Priestess shot back.

His mind was a swirl of soothing pale blues and mauves, as he reached out to her over their bond. _Nikki, we need to talk,_ he said, desperately.

 _After_ , came her clipped voice.

He knew he should take comfort in the fact that she, at least, wanted to talk after they could finally put this Other-forsaken parallel world in the rear mirror of their TARDIS, but there was just something in her words, in her mind, that told him the conversation would not go the way he wanted it to. And for all he knew, there may be more that Annika had been holding close to her chest, hesitant to tell him – things that he hadn't even realised were happening in his own Bonding – that she may be more willing to confess now, when her anger and resentment was bright and blooming. He didn't know if he could take that.

He watched her climb the ladder, a number of emotions churning in his mind.

* * *

Mickey pushed a lever. "Hold on tight, we're going up!" Jake grinned. "Welcome to Mickey's Airlines. Please enjoy your flight. Woo!" he laughed, spinning the wheel.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Pete were clinging to the rope ladder as the zeppelin rose up and away.

"We did it! We did it!" Rose called out, exultantly, her face lighting up with relief.

Pete struggled up the ladder, when it was suddenly jerked downwards. Rose screamed as they all nearly fell off, desperately clinging onto the rope to stay steady. They looked down to find Lumic hanging by the bottom rungs, starting to climb after them. The Doctor slipped his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket.

"Pete! Take this!" the Doctor shouted, dropping it into Pete's outstretched hand. "Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope." He saw Pete hesitate and the Doctor growled under his breath. "Just do it!"

Pete scowled down at Lumic, his face etched with fury and vengeance. "Jackie Tyler, this is for her!" he said, harshly.

He pressed the button down and held the sonic screwdriver against the rope ladder, as Lumic approached closer and closer. For a moment, they all hung in suspended silence, thinking it wouldn't work, but the rope finally snapped some distance below Pete, and Lumic falling down to Earth in slow motion, shouting right to his death. Pete laughed in delight as Lumic fell into the flames below, and they began to struggle up the ladder again, as the zeppelin carried them away to safety.

* * *

The Doctor slipped into the darkened TARDIS, accompanied by a sober Priestess, who clutched the power cell in her hands. She slid it into place, and the TARDIS sprung to life, brightening and humming with power. A huge grin spread across the Doctor's face, nudging at the Priestess.

"Come on, 'Tess." The Doctor knocked his hip against hers. "Smile, it's good for you," he urged.

After a few minutes of the Doctor's teasing persuasion, the Priestess began to smile as well.

* * *

Rose and Pete stood outside the TARDIS, waiting for the Doctor and the Priestess to come out. Rose shot the closed blue doors of the police box an irritated look, hating the idea of the Doctor and the Priestess nestled together inside the TARDIS, alone.

Pete nodded towards the TARDIS. "So, what happens inside that thing, then?" he asked, curiously.

Rose's eyes lit up. "Do you wanna see?" she asked, quickly.

Pete chuckled. "No, I don't think so. But you two, you know, all that stuff about different worlds... who are you?" he asked, hesitantly.

Rose licked her lips. "It's like _you_ say. Imagine there are different worlds. Parallel worlds. Worlds with another Pete Tyler... Jackie Tyler's still alive... and their daughter..." she trailed off, hopefully and carefully, looking into his eyes.

Realisation dawned on his face and terror quickly shifted into his eyes.

"I've gotta go-" he said, hurriedly, like a deer caught in headlights.

Rose moved into his way, stopping him from going. "But if you just look inside..." she tried.

Pete shook his head, furiously. "No, I can't," he said, quickly. He cleared his throat. "There's all those Lumic factories out there. All those Cybermen still in storage. Someone's got to tell the authorities what happened. Carry on the fight..." he hedged.

Just then, the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, accompanied by the Priestess, who pressed her back against the doorway.

"Rose?" the Doctor called out.

They turned around and the Doctor jogged over to them.

"I've only got five minutes of power... we've gotta go," the Doctor said, slowly.

Rose looked at Pete, helplessly. "The Doctor could show you…"

Pete shook his head. "Thank you. For everything."

Rose blinked away tears, looking at him intently, looking for something in Pete's eyes that would show her that he saw her as his daughter, as desperately as she saw him.

"Dad," Rose whispered.

"Don't. Just-just don't," Pete said, harshly, dodging her and walking away.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, in his typical manner when placed in an uncomfortable situation. He looked back at the Priestess, helplessly, asking wordlessly what he should do. The Priestess raised an eyebrow and looked away. Mickey and Jake approached them, carefully, Mickey clutching onto the Doctor's pinstripe suit in his hands.

"Here it is! I found it. Not a crease." Mickey grinned.

The Doctor snatched it from his hands, overjoyed. "My suit! Good man! Now then, Jake." He turned to the blonde man. "We've gotta run. But one more thing." He looked back at the Priestess, who nodded at them. "Mrs Moore. Her real name is Angela Price. She's got a husband out there. And children. Find them. Tell them how she died saving the world," he said, firmly.

Jake nodded, grief reflecting on his face. "Yeah, course I will."

"Off we go, then!" the Doctor rocked back on his heels, making to go back to the TARDIS.

Mickey cleared his throat. "Uh... thing is, I'm staying."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You're doing what?" he asked, incredulously.

The tears that Rose had just batted away returned with full force. "You can't," she said, hoarsely.

Mickey bit her lip. "It sort of balances out." His voice trembled. "'Cause this world lost its Ricky. But there's me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there." He shrugged.

"But you can't stay," Rose protested.

Mickey looked at her. "Rose, my gran's here. She's still alive. My old gran, remember her?" he said, earnestly.

Rose cleared her throat, trying to hold her tears back. "Yeah," she said, quietly.

"She _needs_ me," he murmured.

Rose swallowed hard. "What about me? What if I need you?" she asked, roughly.

Mickey pursed his lips. "Yeah, but Rose... you don't."

He looked at the Priestess, who nodded at him. He spared her a wistful smile, knowing that her situation was more complicated than his, but he knew that sometimes she wished she could say to the Doctor exactly what he was about to say to Rose.

"We had something a long time ago, but... not anymore," he said, finally.

"Well-we'll come back," Rose stammered, grasping at straws. "We can travel anywhere, come and see you, yeah?" she looked at the Doctor, hopefully.

The Doctor shook his head. "We can't. I told you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible. We only got here by accident. We-we fell through a crack in time. When we leave... I've got to close it. We can't ever return," he said, gently.

He looked at Mickey, questioningly, as if asking him if this is really what he wanted, while Rose hung her head in defeat. Mickey glanced at her, before holding his hand out to the Doctor.

"Doctor," he said, firmly.

The Doctor nodded to himself and shook Mickey's hand.

"Take Rose's phone. It's got the code. Get it out there. Stop those factories," he said, earnestly. Mickey nodded. "And good luck. Mickey the Idiot."

He slapped Mickey's cheek with a twinkle in his eye.

Mickey scowled, batting his hand away. "Watch it!" he said, warningly.

The Doctor smirked and sauntered back to the TARDIS, slipping inside. But before the Priestess could follow him, Mickey rushed up and halted her.

"I just wanted to say…" Mickey rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Thanks," he said, hesitantly. "Thanks for everything. Especially for what you said, it meant a lot."

He held out his hand for her to shake.

A slow smile curved on the Priestess' lips and her eyes were bright with fondness. "You are very welcome, Mickey," she said, kindly. Instead of shaking his hand, she took his hand in both of hers. "I am not quite sure why you are thanking me, but I will cherish your gratitude." She squeezed his hand and her voice lowered. "I believe you will do much good here, Mickey." She said, firmly.

"Thanks, Priestess," Mickey said, roughly, his throat tightening with emotion, before she pulled away and slipped into the TARDIS.

Mickey walked back over to Rose, whose face was thick with grief that Mickey was leaving her. She handed him her phone, which he placed inside his pocket.

"Thanks. We've had a laugh though, haven't we?" Mickey asked, hesitantly. Rose nodded, tearfully. "Seen it all, been there and back... who would have thought, me and you off the old estate, flying through the stars?" he chuckled.

Rose couldn't help but smile, wistfully. "All those years just sitting there... imagining what we'd do one day..." her voice broke. "We never saw this, did we?"

With that, she threw her arms around him and they hugged, fiercely.

"Go on, you'll miss your flight," Mickey said, hoarsely.

Rose clutched onto Mickey tighter, burying her head in his shoulders. When she finally pulled away, she was forced to keep her face hidden, lest he see how much his leaving hurt her. She went back to the TARDIS, sobbing silently. When she reached the threshold of the police box, she looked back at him one last time, a myriad of emotions passing over face, and then went inside, closing the door behind her.

Mickey smiled to himself and motioned Jake over. "Jake, you wanna watch this." He smirked.

Jake went to stand beside Mickey and his eyes went comically wide as the TARDIS dematerialised in thin air.

"What... the hell?" he breathed, incredulously.

"That's the Doctor... in the TARDIS... with the Priestess and Rose Tyler," Mickey said, wistfully.

* * *

Jackie stood at the kitchen sink, filling the kettle up, when she heard the sound of the TARDIS materialising in her living room. She rushed out to investigate, when Rose opened the door and gazed at her.

"You're alive..." Rose whispered, her hand tightening on the doorway. Jackie raised a confused eyebrow. "Oh, mum. You're alive."

She flung her arms around Jackie, who seemed bewildered but pleased to see her nonetheless.

"Well, I was the last time I looked..." Jackie trailed off, sceptically.

The Doctor and the Priestess stepped out of the TARDIS and watched the mother and daughter embrace.

"What is it? What's happened, sweetheart?" Jackie asked, softly.

But Rose couldn't say a word, clinging tightly to her, her eyes screwed shut.

Rose just clings tighter to her, eyes screwed shut.

Jackie looked, questioningly, at the Doctor and the Priestess. "What's wrong? Where did you go?" she asked, curiously.

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Priestess. "Far away," he said, slowly. "That was... far away."

Jackie looked around, beyond the Doctor and the Priestess' shoulders into the TARDIS. "Where's Mickey?" she asked.

The Doctor folded his arms over his chest. "He's gone home," he said, simply.

Jackie hugged Rose back, comfortingly, shushing her and smoothing down her hair as she heard her daughter cry.

* * *

When Mickey and Jake got back inside the blue van, Mickey turned to him.

Mickey and Jake get back inside the blue van. Mickey turns to him.

"I know it's not easy with my face looking exactly like Ricky. But I'm a different man. I'm not replacing him. But we can remember him by fighting in his name," Mickey said, firmly, bursting with a new confidence.

Jake nodded in agreement.

"With all those Cyber factories out there, do you think they'll be one in Paris?" Mickey asked, suddenly.

Jake paused and finally nodded. "Yeah."

"Then, let's go and liberate Paris," Mickey said, slyly.

"What, you and me? In a van?" Jake asked, sceptically.

"Nothing wrong with a van." Mickey shrugged. "I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck," he said, proudly.

Jake grinned. They started the engine and drove away.

* * *

Once they had left Rose with her mother, the girl declaring that she needed some time alone with her mother to get over Mickey's loss, they proceeded back to the TARDIS, shutting the doors behind them. The Doctor moved to the console and started up the engines, taking the TARDIS into flight and leaving it lingering somewhere in time and space. He looked up when he saw the Priestess move past the console, on her way out of the room, into the rest of the TARDIS.

"So, are we going to talk about this or not?" the Doctor said, challengingly.

The Priestess turned around, slowly, weariness reflected in the stress of her shoulders. "I am unsure of what there is to talk about, Theta," she said, impassively.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, was I imagining the stand-offishness the past two days?" he asked, sarcastically.

The Priestess sighed. "Are you truly unaware of why I was angry?" she asked, incredulously.

"I'm assuming it has to do with Rose?"

"All she has to do is bat her eyelashes and you do _whatever_ she wants." The Priestess shook her head in disbelief. "Your duty as a Time Lord to protect time and space ceases to exist when she is in your midst," she said, sharply.

The Doctor scoffed. "Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?" he said, dryly.

"Do you believe that I am being melodramatic?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I _believe_ that jealousy isn't a good look on you," the Doctor said, harshly.

It would've hurt less had he smacked her directly in the face. But she hid her pain behind an unharmed façade.

 _Should I be jealous_? she thought to herself.

"And you never used to be this petty. Rose wanted to meet a man who's the parallel equivalent of her father who _died_. Perhaps you can try to understand why she wanted to see him? Considering everything you, yourself, have lost," he said, chidingly.

The Priestess shook her head, her fists clenching at her side as she fought to hide her anger and pain at his careless, insensitive words.

"I was of the impression that we had _both_ lost much, but apparently it was only me." She shook her head in disbelief. "And you continue to treat me as if I am not capable of compassion," she accused, grimly.

The Doctor threw his hands up in the air. "Of course I know you're capable of compassion, Annika," he shot back. "I've known you for over nine-hundred years, how could I not know that about you?"

"Then why say that?" she asked, tersely.

The Doctor sighed and leaned back against the edge of the console. "Look, you're right. I was out of line and I'm sorry." He looked up at her with wide, beseeching eyes, and his hand reached out to brush fingertips over her knuckles. "We've _both_ lost much, not just you, and you… you are the kindest being I have ever known, Nikki," he said, earnestly. "You could never be incapable of compassion."

The Priestess looked away, unwilling for the Doctor to see the emotion flashing in her eyes. "Do you understand why I objected so strongly to Rose seeing the parallel version of her father?" she asked, slowly.

"Of course I do," the Doctor said, gently. "And it's not that I don't agree with you, but-"

"It is Rose," the Priestess finished for him, something strange sinking in her voice.

She thought it was bitterness, but perhaps there was even some resignation. Even so, she didn't care to give it much thought, lest she ruin her own life.

"I know you and Rose don't get along all the time, but-" the Doctor began, hesitantly.

The Priestess looked at him, sharply, with such incredulous anger and hurt that it stopped him in his tracks. And it made him feel like the lowest of the low, knowing that he had just breached a line he had never thought he would cross. He had made it personal for her. He had brought her down to her mere emotional functions, as if she had protested Rose's wish out of sheer dislike of the girl, as if she were that small-minded and spiteful – _as if she were that human_. And not because she was a Time Lady as much as he was a Time Lord, with instincts even greater than his and a duty and desire to maintain the continuity of the fabric of the space-time continuum and the causality of the universe that had eclipsed his since they were children and running around the corridors of the Academy.

"You continue to misunderstand me," the Priestess said, lowly. "And I grow weary of having to explain it to you."

With that, she left him standing, alone, in the console room.

* * *

 **A/N** : Well, that didn't end too well. Somehow, I think that it's going to take a while for them to get back from this. This kind of sets the tone of a lot of altercations like this in the rest of the story, so, you know, be prepared.

 **Reviews** :

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : Yeah, she is a little. But it's not completely her fault. This was somewhat screaming? There will be more painful arguments later.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you! And I totally agree with everything you just said!

 _the stargate time traveller_ : She might? She's not so interested, and it occurs to her only at the last moment, unfortunately. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on 9. I feel like, yes, he was traumatised, most certainly, BUT he was quite soft a lot of the time and maybe that came off as respect? 11 showed more empathy, I found.

 _Bladewolf101_ : That everything wasn't going to come to light anytime soon?


	16. The Idiot's Lantern: Libera Me (Verdi)

**A/N** : We have _The Idiot's Lantern_ in this one. And with the way the Doctor and the Priestess left things the last time, I'm not too hopeful about the fluff in this one :( Of course, if it is the Priestess who gets her face stolen, we might see some crazy Doctor, which may make things better.

 **Warnings** : Drama. Angst.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 16**

 **The Idiot's Lantern: Libera Me (Verdi)**

Two pink, high heeled shoes stepped out onto the pavement, along with a big pink skirt and layers of netting beneath. Rose, in full fifties regalia, brushed a strand of hair from her eyes as she walked out onto the street, looking around.

"I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know, the white flares and the..." she growled, lowly, almost seductively. "…chest hair."

The Doctor poked his head around the TARDIS door, his hair gelled back, teddy-boy style.

"You are kidding, aren't you?" The Doctor's eyes widened, sceptically. "You wanna see Elvis, you go in the late fifties! The time before burgers," he teased, before disappearing back inside. "When they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist." Rose laughed. "What's more, you see him in style!"

The sound of an engine rang through the air and Rose swung around, her brow knitted together in confusion, and watched with wide eyes as the Doctor rode out of the TARDIS on a blue moped, making her laugh in amusement and shock, as the Doctor brought the scooter to a stop right in front of her, cheesy sunglasses and a white helmet on his head.

His voice lowered into a somewhat impression of Elvis Presley, his eyes hooded. "You goin' my way, doll?" he growled, playfully.

Rose slipped on her pair of hot-pink sunglasses, her voice contorting into a mirage of an American accent. "Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?" she joked, striding towards the moped, her hips swinging invitingly. "Straight from the fridge, man!" she crowed.

The Doctor's face lit up with delight as he deliberately ignored the way she moved towards him. After all, she couldn't mean much by it. It was probably just an instinctual action.

"Hey, you speak the lingo!" he grinned, tossing her a pink version of his helmet, which she caught and slipped onto her head.

"Yeah well... me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday." Rose shrugged, taking her seat behind him on the moped, folding the voluminous skirts of her dress underneath her.

The Doctor's face scrunched up together. "Ah, Cliff! I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan," he said, grimacing. He turned around, towards the open door of the TARDIS. "Oi, Tess, do you plan on coming out this century, or what?" he shouted.

"Must you always grumble?" Her voice was muffled from inside the TARDIS.

The roar of an engine took the two by surprise and they turned to see the Priestess ride out on a sea-green Vespa, her hands certain on the handles. But what had the Doctor grinding his teeth together was the white bralette and matching high-waisted shorts, studded with rhinestones, that barely ended at the tops of her thighs. Over the white crop top was a pale blue over-shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and the hem tied just over the lines of her ribcage. On her feet were a pair of silver pumps that were braced on top of the deck of the Vespa. Her hair was unbound and curling over her shoulder and down her back.

The Doctor's brow furrowed together, as he resolved to question her on her attire at a later time. "Why'd you bring that out?"

The Priestess stared back at him, blankly. "I very much doubt that there is room for three on that moped of yours, Doctor," she said, dryly.

"Yeah, but-"

The look on the Priestess' face could only be described as unfathomable, her eyes dark with something that sent dread pooling in the Doctor's stomach.

"I suggest we leave, if you would like to see one of Elvis Presley's shows," she said, pointedly.

She twisted the handles of the Vespa and proceeded to drive down the street, without waiting for the Doctor to follow her, but moments after, she heard the thrum of his moped's engine and she knew that he was following her.

"Where we off to?" Rose asked, curiously, over the sound of the wind, simply revelling in the opportunity to have some time alone with the Doctor without the Priestess interfering, and she didn't need to mention the chance to wrap her arms around his lithe waist as he worked the moped.

"Ed Sullivan TV Studios, Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows, there were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it," the Doctor explained.

The Priestess ran her tongue over her teeth as her dark eyes surveyed the streets lined with blaring British flags and rolled her eyes.

 _I knew it_ , she thought, spitefully.

"And that'll be TV studios in, what… New York?" She heard Rose voice her thoughts and knew that the human had understood what the Doctor was still failing to grasp.

"That's the one!" the Doctor said, cheerfully.

The Priestess brought her scooter to a stop, taking a sharp right and swerving in front so as to sideline the Doctor's moped, just as a bright red London bus drove past the end of the street. She sent the Doctor a withering look as his face contorted with bemusement, Rose choosing to laugh it off.

"Digging that New York vibe!" she joked.

"Well... this _could_ still be New York, I mean this looks very New York to me... sort of... Londony New York, mind…" he trailed off, his face falling at the displeased look on the Priestess' face.

 _Great. Just what I needed._

Rose slipped her sunglasses off, her brow furrowing. "What are all the flags for?"

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose walked past a man with grey-streaked hair, supervising as two errand boys took out a television from a van and carried it into a house, as the owner of the house looked on.

"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion," he said, cheerfully.

The Doctor frowned at that point and stopped, approaching the grey-haired man. "The great occasion? What d'you mean?" He asked, curiously.

The man stared at him, sceptically, before sidelining the Priestess at his side, whose lips pursed. "Where've you been living, out in the Colonies?" The Priestess' mouth tightened. "Coronation, of course," he said, shaking his head.

The Doctor looked as confused as ever. "What Coronation's that, then?"

The man's face was vivid with bemusement. "What d'you mean? _The_ Coronation."

The Doctor's face remained blank and he turned to Rose for help.

But it was the Priestess who answered, her lip curling when the Doctor immediately turned to Rose for answers.

A dark thought bloomed in her mind.

 _I used to be the first he would turn to. It seems that I have been replaced._

The words had her pinpricks scraping against her hearts.

"It is June 1, 1953. I believe Elizabeth of the House of Windsor will ascend to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms tomorrow," the Priestess explained, absentmindedly. "As usual, despite the Doctor's reckless navigation, we seemed to have stumbled upon a significant moment of history."

The Doctor frowned, offended. "Oi, I do not navigate recklessly."

The Priestess hummed. "Well, then, I imagine I must have missed the memorandum which disclosed that New York proudly became a British territory sometime in the late 1940s, early 1950s. It is my mistake," she taunted, just the faintest hint of genuine contempt underlying her voice, which had the Doctor recoiling back on his heels, his face momentarily twisting with hurt before he rubbed it clean.

The man nodded, warily watching them. "Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best."

Rose looked up at the chimneys. "Look at all the TV aerials... looks like everyone's got one." She bit her lip, her face turning doubting. "That's weird, my nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house," she murmured.

The man shook his head. "Not round here, love. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a box."

The Doctor, at this point, had wandered off a short way down the street, his face thoughtful. His voice suddenly breached the conversation, all smiles and energy and avoiding the Priestess' sharp brown eyes, fearing the pain and hostility he may see in them.

"Oh but this is a _brilliant_ year!" he exclaimed. "Classic! Technicolour, Everest climbed, everything off the ration-" His voice lowered, mockingly. " _The Nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!_ "

Rose threw her head back and laughed, her eyelashes fluttering at him. Suddenly, a woman shouted, and it echoed right through the street.

"Someone help me, please! Ted!"

A man with a blanket over his head was being bundled into a black police car by two suited men, and the Priestess took the initiative to walk over, the Doctor and Rose following her.

"Leave him alone, it's my husband!" the woman shrieked, scurrying after them desperately.

"What is this?" the Priestess snapped.

The blanketed man was pushed into the back seat, just as a blonde teenage boy ran out of the opposite house.

"Oi, what are you doing?!" he asked, angrily.

One of the suited men addressed the Priestess and the Doctor, who was fierce behind her, what with his tall frame and determined dark eyes.

"Police business, now, get out of the way!" one of the suited men replied, grimly.

Rose turned to the teenage boy. "Who did they take, do you know him?"

"Must be Mr Gallagher..." the boy trailed off, sadly.

The car drove off, leaving Mrs Gallagher in tears, and an older woman strode out of the boy's house, coming to stand behind him.

"It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters..."

"Tommy! Not one word!" an older, moustached man shouted, furiously.

The Priestess' and the Doctor's eyes snapped to the man.

"Get inside now!" he warned.

Tommy looked uneasy and it was a look that the Priestess, unfortunately, knew well, and it had her seething under her skin.

"Sorry, I'd better do as he says..." Tommy said, apologetically.

Mrs Gallagher continued to sob, but the Doctor slipped on his sunglasses again and ran over to his moped, kicking it into life.

"All aboard!" he called out to Rose, motioning for her to take her seat beside him.

The Priestess was already seated on her Vespa, twisting the handles and moving onto the road, following the car.

* * *

The black car hurtled around a corner, just as tall, corrugated metal gates opened at the end of the street, allowing the black car through, and shutting just after the bumper had crossed the threshold. Immediately, a wooden market barrow was wheeled in front of the gates and two men started sweeping the floor, as if the area hadn't been disturbed for a moment. The Doctor and Rose came to a halt just behind the Priestess, as she stared at the gates unfathomably.

"Lost 'em! How'd they get away from us?" the Doctor asked, sceptically.

"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving, have you actually _passed_ your test?!" Rose asked, incredulously.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. She motioned to the gates behind the barrow. "They disappeared through there. The gates shut as soon as the car passed through," she said, grimly.

The Doctor shook his head. "Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia!"

"Monsters," the Priestess said, suddenly. "The boy, Tommy… he said they were all becoming _monsters_."

The Doctor looked at her, pointedly.

"Perhaps we should ask the neighbours," she finished, loftily.

"That's what I like about you. The domestic approach," the Doctor sniffed.

The Priestess' mouth tightened but her eyes flashed with unbidden amusement, which the Doctor definitely caught, winking at her.

"You are not too old for me to discipline," she said, warningly, swerving the Vespa back into life.

* * *

"Why here?" Rose asked, crossly. "The guy didn't seem too keen on talking to us before," she told the Priestess, pointedly.

The Priestess rolled her eyes, her eyes trained on the door ahead of her. "If you allow yourself to tailor your actions around the whims of others, you will never get anything done."

Once she stepped onto the threshold, she rapped on the door with her knuckles.

Tommy's father opened the door to a grinning Doctor and Rose and a grim Priestess.

The Doctor and Rose sang a hello, while the Priestess remained silent.

The man regarded the three suspiciously, as Tommy lurked curiously in the background.

"Who are you, then?" he asked, his lip curling.

The Priestess crossed her arms over her chest. "We are here to-"

The Doctor slid in front of her before she could finish her sentence, knowing that her penchant for the truth (and unfamiliarity with human behaviour and manipulating the apes to do what you want) would have them bodily thrown out onto the road.

The Doctor licked his lips. "Let's see then, judging by the look of you: family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war. Therefore, I represent Queen and country!" He held up the psychic paper with a flourish. "Just doing a little check of Her Majesty's forthcoming subjects for the great day. Don't mind if I come in?" The man opened his mouth to answer. "Nah, didn't think you did, thank you!"

He barged past Eddie before he could protest and the Priestess went after him, Rose following suit, not before her face darkened at the way the Doctor had begun to ignore her the moment that the Priestess entered the spotlight. They had been making progress earlier (she was thinking that the Doctor and the Priestess must have had an argument because they couldn't bear to look at each other for longer than a few moments and she was dying to know what it was about and if she could use it to further her own case), but the Time Lady just had to act like her clueless self so the Doctor could swoop in and save her.

And there was that swift guilt that had her regretting her hasty words.

The Priestess had spent decades being tortured by that sadistic bastard Van Statten. Rose had to continuously remind herself that it wasn't her fault for not understanding humans as well as the Doctor did.

The Doctor entered the living room, gazing around with mock-approval.

"Not bad, very nice! Very well kept! I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs...?" He looked at Tommy's mother, questioningly.

"Connolly," the woman answered, timidly, shooting her husband an uneasy look, almost as if asking him for permission to answer, or looking for validation as to whether her reply had been appropriate.

The man suddenly made his presence known, clearing his throat.

"Now, then, Rita, I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative!" he said, proudly, blustering.

The Doctor turned to Rita, who looked terrified, a wink to reassure her, as the Priestess leaned stiffly against the wall and Rose perched herself on the arm of a chair.

"Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit," Rita's husband said, pointedly, to the Doctor.

The Priestess gritted her teeth.

The Doctor's face flashed with something dark. "Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more," he said, a cold smile sharpening.

Tommy and his father both looked shocked, much to the Doctor and the Priestess' amusement, and the Doctor continued, unfazed.

"I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty," the Doctor said, lightly. He glanced briefly at the flags around the room, waiting to be put up. "Nice flags. Why are they not flying?" he asked, sharply.

Mr Connelly remained silent for a moment, nervousness clouding his gaze, before he cleared his throat and turned to his face "There we are Rita, I told you. Get them up, Queen and country!"

The Priestess had a flash of a tall man looming over her, his voice rising as his eyes went wild with anger, as she cowered against the wall.

The Doctor looked sceptical, and began to move over to the husband.

"I'm sorry-" Rita moved over to the flags.

"Get it done! Do it now," her husband snapped.

"Hold on a minute-" the Doctor interjected.

"Like the gentleman says-"

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor growled, and all fell silent. "You've got hands, Mr Connolly. Two big hands! Why is that your wife's job?" he asked, curiously.

"It's housework, innit?" Mr Connelly said, confused.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "And that's a woman's job?"

"Course it is!" Mr Connelly said, vehemently.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Mr Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" he asked, pointedly.

"She's a female," Mr Connelly said, his voice rising in defence.

"Are you suggesting that your Queen does the housework?" the Priestess asked, her lip curling, a scornful smile on her mouth.

A small smile grew on Tommy's face as he watched the Priestess inevitably win the confrontation, as his father fell silent at her abrupt way of ending the pseudo-argument. Even Rita seemed a little heartened by her husband's humiliation.

"No! Not at all!" Mr Connolly said, hurriedly.

The Doctor handed Mr Connolly a string of flags, giving him an insistent stare.

"Then get busy," the Doctor ordered.

"Right, yes, sir."

He set about hanging the flags, feigning enthusiasm in his tasks, which fooled neither the Doctor, the Priestess, Rita or Tommy.

"You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right and centre!"

Rose slid to her feet, hands on her hips, as the Doctor slowly paced back across the room.

"'Scuse me, Mr Connolly, hang on a minute! Union Jacks?" Rose asked, questioningly.

Mr Connolly paused in his work to look at her, confused. "Yes, that's right, isn't it?" he asked, uneasily.

"That's the Union Flag," Rose corrected, sharply. "It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea."

Tommy's smile grew into a grin, as his father tried to backtrack, his face turning purple with embarrassment.

"Oh... oh, I'm sorry, I do apologise!" he stammered.

Rose smiled, widely. "Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man." Her voice lowered and thickened. "Now, get to it!" she said, forcefully.

Mr Connolly hastily returned to work, and Rose gave the Doctor a coy smile, to which the Priestess' mouth curled at. The Doctor look distinctly uncomfortable when he and Rose both sat on the sofa, making themselves comfortable and revelling in making Mr Connolly do housework, while Rita relaxed, albeit stiffly.

"Right, then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" the Doctor said, cheerfully. His head lowered as he turned to Rose. "Union Flag?" he questioned, curiously.

"Mum went out with a sailor," Rose replied, absentmindedly.

The Doctor's face broke out in a grin (a sight which had the Priestess' throat tightening). He jeered, quietly. "I bet she did." His voice rose. "Anyway, I'm the Doctor, this is the Priestess and this is Rose, and you are?"

The Doctor addressed his question to Tommy, who seemed surprised to be noticed at all.

"Tommy," the boy replied, quietly.

The Doctor and Rose shifted to their respective corners on the couch, making a space for Tommy to sit in between them.

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy."

The Doctor patted the armrest of the other chair, motioning for Rita to take a seat as well. He twisted his head around to look at the Priestess, who remained leaning against the wall, her eyes sharp and alert as she observed everything going on.

 _You're not going to sit down?_ he asked, quietly.

This was the first time he had reached out to her across the bond since she had walked out of the TARDIS console room, leaving him with disappointed, bitter words and resentment and hurt clotting the air between them.

 _I am content where I am._ The Priestess' reply was short and sharp, and it was clear she had no desire to speak to him.

 _Alright then_ , the Doctor said, awkwardly, falling silent, his hands fidgeting on his thighs.

He cleared his throat, when he caught sight of what was on the television screen.

"Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?" He turned to Tommy, fake excitement gleaming on his face.

Tommy's eyes brightened and he nodded, shyly. "Yeah, I think it's brilliant!" he agreed.

"Good man!" the Doctor said, approvingly.

They watched the programme, which concerned something to do with fossils, silently for a few moments before the Doctor turned around to check on Mr Connolly, who is still hanging the flags.

"Keep working Mr C!" he said, loudly.

He turned to Rita, his face turning solemn and his voice lowering, such that Mr Connolly could not hear.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?" he asked, reassuringly.

Rita bit her lip, shooting her husband a worried look, before her eyes searched the Doctor's, beseechingly. "Did you say you were a doctor?" she asked, somewhat reluctantly.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Can you help her? Oh, please, can you help her, Doctor?" Rita's eyes flooded with tears.

It was this last part of the conversation that Mr Connolly overheard and was suddenly looming over the lot of them.

"Now then, Rita, I don't think the gentleman needs to know..."

"No, the gentleman does!" the Doctor cut in, sharply.

Rita dissolved into sobs and it was then that the Priestess made her presence known, moving over to the chair and placing an awkwardly comforting hand on her shoulder (she was still quite unsure of how to go about this sympathy notion with humans, but she hoped she was doing it correctly).

"If you apprise us of what is wrong here, we will be able to help," she said, gently.

But Rita's sobs only grew louder, and she just shook her head helplessly. The Doctor watched them with a concerned frown.

"Hold on a minute! Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!" Mr Connolley snapped.

He looked down at the flags in his hands, chucking them down, as if shocked at his own quick assent to their insane desires. The Doctor propped his head on his forearm and balled fist, the muscles in his face tightening with every moment that he fought to control the frustration inside him.

"What the-what the hell am I doing?" Mr Connolly growled to himself. He glared down at the Doctor. "Now, you listen here, Doctor! You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!" he shouted.

"All the people are being bundled into-" the Doctor said, scathingly.

Mr Connolly's face turned a bright crimson. "I am _talking_!" he shouted.

The Doctor slid to his feet in a snap, his voice a pitch louder than Mr Connolly's and almost spitting in his face as he loomed over him.

"And I'm not listening!" he roared. "Now, you, Mr Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark _pit_ of trouble if you don't let me help," he snapped.

Mr Connolly had taken a step back, clearly shaken, and both Tommy and Rita looked scared again, unsure of how to react to another angry face. The Priestess' hand tightened on Rita's shoulder, giving her reassurance.

"So I'm ordering you, _sir_ , to tell me what's going on!" the Doctor growled.

Mr Connolly tried to think of something to say, but was silenced by the sound of banging coming from upstairs. His eyes and the Doctor's rolled upwards, Tommy looked around nervously, and Rita sighed and shook her head.

"She won't stop." Mr Connolly's voice was quiet, with a hint of fear at his own words.

The banging continued, growing in pitch.

"She never stops."

Tommy swallowed hard, finding the confidence to explain in a slightly shaky voice, and the Doctor and Priestess turned to regard him, curiously. As he spoke, Rita's face shook with grief and embarrassment, and Mr Connolly guiltily tried to regain some composure in the wake of his son's strength.

"We started hearing stories, all round the place. People who've... changed," he hedged. "Families keeping it secret 'cause they were scared. The police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just... turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night." He whispered.

"Show me," the Doctor ordered.

* * *

Tommy opened the door to a darkened room.

"Gran? It's Tommy," he said, cautiously.

He opened the door wider, allowing the Doctor and the others behind to see inside the room.

"'S all right, Gran, I've brought help," he said, reassuringly.

His grandmother was standing by the window and her silhouette moved slowly towards them, hearing the call of their voice. Tommy stepped a little further inside the room and tuned on the light, only to reveal that the features of his grandmother's face – eyes, nose, mouth – had all disappeared, leaving on smooth skin behind. Rose gulped, and the Doctor and the Priestess simply stared with a furrowed brow.

The Priestess and the Doctor peered at the blank face, Rose crowding into them as well, while Tommy and Rita stood a few steps away, and Mr Connolly remained completely outside the room, with a grim face, as if divesting himself of the entire situation.

"Her face is completely gone," the Doctor murmured, with an air of fascination. He scanned it with the sonic screwdriver. "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown, she's ticking over, like her brain has been... wiped clean." He finished, lowly.

He slipped the sonic screwdriver pack into his suit pocket, and continued to examine her face.

"What're we gonna do, Doctor?" Tommy asked, desperately. "We can't even feed her!"

They were interrupted by a crash of people entering the house downstairs.

"I imagine that is the police," the Priestess deadpanned.

"It's them, they've come for her!" Rita's whimpered, hysterically.

The Doctor rounded on Rita and Tommy.

"What was she doing before this happened? Where was she?" he asked, quickly.

Rita hesitated, visibly, as the men clambered up the stairs.

"Tell me, quickly, think!"

Tommy shook his head. "I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-"

The boy was cut off by the entrance of a big, burly man and some supporting officers. The Doctor stepped in front of the rest, attempting to buy some time.

"Hold on a minute! There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One,-"

The Priestess bit back a shriek of rage and alarm when the burly man punched the Doctor right in the face, hard, causing him to the fall to the floor, unconscious. The Priestess was suddenly kneeling by his side, brushing his hair away from his face, as she searched across the bond to find any sense of awareness or injury.

"Can't you wake him up or something?" Rose asked her, desperately.

She reached out to slap him on the cheek, but the Priestess' hand curled around her wrist, warningly, her eyes cold with anger.

"Do _not_ strike him," she said, fiercely.

The men took the opportunity that their distraction had given them to throw a blanket over Tommy's grandmother and usher her down the stairs.

"Leave her alone!" Rita shouted.

The men threw Rita aside, leaving Tommy to catch her, while Mr Connolly simply stepped aside, encouraging them to leave quicker.

The Connollys all ran down the stairs, leaving the Priestess and Rose to rouse the Doctor.

"Mum!" they heard Rita scream. "Don't hurt her!"

* * *

"Why are you so useless?" Rose spat at the Priestess. "Can't you do _anything_?" She looked, worriedly, down at the Doctor.

The next moment, the Doctor had sat up, as if nothing had happened.

"Ah, hell of a right hook! Have to watch out for that!" the Doctor said, cheerfully.

"It is no wonder you do not receive more of them," the Priestess muttered, scathingly, under her breath, to which the Doctor winked at.

 _That's your department, Nikki._ He waggled his eyebrows.

She found her mouth quirking up in reluctant amusement.

He could always make her smile.

 _Continue to speak and you may return to your previous state,_ she said, warningly. _And I suggest we follow the policemen before we lose our only indication as to what is happening here._

 _Good point_.

The Doctor jumped to his feet and belted down the stairs. However, he was too late, arriving at the front door just as the car drove off, with Mr Connolly still blocking the doorway.

"Don't fight it, back inside!" Mr Connolly warned.

The Doctor growled and pushed past him, running over to his moped, just as the Priestess and Rose came down the stairs. The Priestess shot Mr Connolly a withering look that had him turning away from her disapproving eyes as he restrained his wife and son.

"'Tess, Rose, come on!" the Doctor called out from outside, hurriedly.

"Get back inside!" Mr Connolly warned Rita and Tommy.

The Priestess paused at the entrance to the living room, her eyes snapping to the red, humming tendrils of electricity that had started to surge out of the television set.

"But Dad, they took her!" Tommy protested, furiously.

"Go back inside, don't fight it..."

The Doctor gritted his teeth in urgency as he fastened his helmet.

"Damnit, 'Tess, we're gonna lose them again!" he snapped, loudly.

The Priestess pursed her lips and walked over to the television set. Rose remained in the archway, torn between running to the Doctor and examining what had the Priestess so thoroughly interested. The tendrils were absorbed back into the television, and this prompted to join the Priestess beside the box.

Outside, the Doctor scowled, giving up waiting for the Priestess and Rose, and rode off on his moped, in pursuit of the black car.

* * *

The Priestess twisted the television set around to see the red electricity traversing across the aerial, and a large label saying 'Magpie Electricals'. It was then that Tommy, Rita and Mr Connolly came back into the living room.

"How did they find her? Who told 'em?" Tommy asked, confused.

Mr Connolly noticed the Priestess and Rose remaining in his home and scowled. "You two! Get the hell out of my house!"

The Priestess slid to her feet, gracefully, motioning for Rose to follow suit, which she did.

"We were just leaving," the Priestess said, shortly. She smiled, kindly, at Rita and Tommy. "It was very nice to meet you, Tommy, Mrs Connolly." Her head turned and she gazed at Mr Connolly, witheringly. "As for you, Mr Connolly, if ever an ape were dressed as a _civilised_ being…" she trailed off, pointedly, and watched his face go apoplectic.

She walked off past them, leaving Rose with one last quip of her own.

"Mr Connolly," Rose took a deep breath. "Only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside-down. Shame on you!"

She grinned cheerfully before running out after the Priestess.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rose growled, exasperatedly, rushing after the Priestess, wondering how she could manage to walk so quickly in such high heels.

"The television set in the Connelly's home is one from Magpie's Electricals. Earlier, we saw a van bearing that name on this street. It is my suspicion that all of these houses have bought their television sets from this specific proprietor and I intend to question him as to his connection with what is happening here," the Priestess said, quickly, not too keen about the fact that she had to explain herself.

"You do realise that the Doctor went in the opposite direction, right?" Rose asked, scathingly, her eyes flashing at the way the Priestess' words made her feel dumber than usual. "We should be going after him. Not going after some bloody lead because you feel like playing detective," she spat.

The Priestess rounded on her, her face scarily blank, her eyes dark with repressed fury.

"Rose, frankly I do not have the time to start an argument with you, nor am I here to assuage your petty little insecurities. So, let me be very clear. For the express reason that the Doctor wants you alive, I will give you a choice. You can either come with me and keep your mouth shut, or you could stand here on a sidewalk in the middle of London in 1953 all by yourself. It is your choice. You are, as they say, a big girl," the Priestess snapped and spun on her feet, stalking away in the direction in which she had originally been walking.

* * *

The black police car swerved around a bend and straight through the same wooden doors of the warehouse at which the Priestess had been forced to halt before. The Doctor arrived, some way behind on his much slower vehicle, only to see that the car had disappeared in what appeared to be a dead end. The doors were shut and the same two workmen cleared away some rubbish from the stall and swept the street, as if nothing had happened. The Doctor stopped and swiftly worked out what must have happened, both now and earlier, his face shuttering in half-admiration and half-frustration.

"Oh, very good! Very good!" the Doctor muttered in approval.

He parked the moped and walked around the building, looking for a way inside. He eventually found a small gate on the side, and managed to break in with the sonic screwdriver.

Inside, he wandered to find and observe two policemen looking up small indoor cages. He walked over, once they had disappeared, and saw that they all contained several dozen people, all with missing faces, much like Tommy's grandmother. He opened those gates with the sonic screwdriver as well and watched as the people inside shuffled towards the Doctor, only able to clench and unclench their fists in an almost mechanical manner.

Suddenly, a bright light flared on and the Doctor turned around, caught unaware, squinting, and paling when the two policemen who had locked up the cages earlier had returned somewhere in the time where he had snuck into the cages and were now standing in front of the headlamps of their car.

"Stay where you are!" the policeman in front snapped, warningly.

* * *

"I will do the talking," the Priestess said, firmly. She looked Rose up and down. "I am more… _resilient_ … than you are." She said, loftily.

Rose seethed, but bit back the desire to pick up another argument.

They entered Magpie's shop, where he was adjusting a TV set on the counter. His face was ill at ease when he looked up to see them come in.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, ladies, I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door," he said, apologetically.

The Priestess waited for Rose to enter in and take her place beside her to shut the door.

"We wish to buy a television set of yours," the Priestess said, lowly.

Magpie's smile was shaky at best. "Come back tomorrow. Please."

Rose frowned, mockingly. "You'll be closed, won't ya?" her brow furrowed.

Magpie's face was genuinely confused. "What?"

"For the big day. The coronation…" Rose trailed off, pointedly.

Magpie's face dawned with realisation and he nodded, hurriedly. "Yes, yes, of course. The big day." He moved out from behind the counter in an effort to usher Rose and the Priestess away, but they chose to ignore his attempts, walking over to him. "I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please, go."

"Now," the Priestess began with a smile that urged him to tell her the truth, the flecks of gold in her doe-brown eyes promising swift retribution if he withheld anything. "From what I can conclude, a great majority of London owns one of your television sets. Tell me, is there any particular reason they are so inexpensive?" the Priestess asked, incisive and deliberate.

Magpie shrugged. "I have my reasons."

"And those are?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow.

Before he could answer, one of the televisions on display, on the wall, switched on by itself, and a middle-aged woman took her place on the screen.

"Hungry! Hungry!" she screeched.

Rose frowned and turned in the direction of the noise. "What's that?" she asked, curiously.

Magpie's eyes jutted in that direction, stark with terror, and he turned back to them. "It's just a television. One of these modern programmes. Now, I really do think you should leave! Right now!" he said, firmly.

Rose took a brave step forward. "Not until you've answered our questions. How comes your televisions are so cheap?"

Magpie's shoulders squared. "It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud! Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching! Imagine that!" He smiled, trembling.

Rose returned the grin, not convinced at all.

"And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh?" Magpie said, his voice dissolving into urgency. "So, why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day?"

Rose shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the Priestess approach the television set that had caught their attention earlier.

She cleared her throat. "Nah, we're not leaving 'til we've seen everything."

"I need to close," Magpie snapped.

The Priestess turned to him at that point. "Sir, something strange is taking place in this suburb. Ordinary people are being afflicted and transformed, and the only commonality between these victims is a new television set in their respective homes. One of _your_ television sets. Now, I suggest you tell us what is happening." Her voice was calm, soothing, but it brooked no argument.

Magpie's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I knew this would happen. I knew I'd be found out." His voice was a whisper.

"Does this denote that you will tell us the truth?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow.

Rose nodded. "What's really in it for you?"

"For me?" His laugh was bitter. "Perhaps some peace."

Rose frowned. "From what?"

"From _her_."

Magpie glanced over at the woman calmly present on the television screen that had abruptly turned on earlier. The Priestess and Rose followed his gaze.

Rose shook her head. "That's just a woman on the telly, that's just a programme," she said, doubtfully.

The woman sighed. "What a pretty little girl," she purred.

The Priestess clenched her jaw.

Rose stared in horror. "Oh, my God," she breathed. "Are you talking to me?" she asked, incredulously.

The woman smiled. "Yes, I'm talking to you, little one. Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?" she pouted.

The Priestess took a wilful step in front of Rose, blocking the young, human girl from the Wire's wanting gaze.

"What are you?" she asked, coldly.

"I'm the Wire. And I'm _hungry_...!" she whined, shrilly.

The Wire bared her teeth, and pinkish, purplish bolts of electricity gushing out of the screen. The Priestess gritted her teeth against the pain, electricity rushing across the lines of her face and stealing _everything_.

"Rose," she called out, biting down. "Run." She growled through clenched teeth.

Rose, for once, looked torn, knowing that she should do something to help the Priestess and desperately wanting to, but realising that the Priestess wouldn't have told her to run if there wasn't a point to the instruction. If she could get out, if she could get to the Doctor, she could tell him what had happened to the Priestess, who was behind everything.

And maybe, they could stop it.

She nodded, tears rushing to her eyes, her fists clenching and desperately wanting to _help_ the Priestess – yes, help her, because, despite her hush-hush competition (and she was pretty sure that it was only her doing any of the competing since the Priestess didn't seem bothered by her opposition at all), there were times where she thought the Priestess and her were friends (although, now that she thought about it, those times were all _before_ the Doctor regenerated but that was something into which she didn't want to dig deeper) – but steeled herself.

"I'll get help," she swore and made for the door, before Magpie could rush forwards at stop her, throwing it open and running out as fast as she could on her pointed heels.

Magpie watched Rose run away and turned his attention to a writhing Priestess on her feet. "Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear..." he trailed off, sadly.

The Priestess was determined not to let these monsters hear her scream and bit down.

"All sitting down to watch the coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same again." The Priestess could hear the tears in his words. "I'm sorry. So sorry," he moaned in grief.

The Priestess made a sound of fury and pain as her face was swallowed into the screen.

"Goodnight, children. Everywhere," the Wire said, serenely.

* * *

 **A/N** : Whew, now that was a chapter to write. I wanted to make it such that the Doctor and the Priestess were distant for most of it, because they still haven't made up after their previous argument. Of course, that'll make the Doctor's reaction to faceless!Tess the next chapter really interesting. And Rose had an interesting moment of introspection at the end there. I think, even if she were feeling jealous, while she would show it, she is genuinely a compassionate person and if the Priestess were really in trouble, she would still want to help, even if the Priestess is a rival of sorts with her. And of course, there was that bit about her jealousy only starting after the Doctor regenerated. My headcanon is that Rose's attraction for the Doctor didn't really start to be so all-consuming until he became pretty like her. Which is a shame, because I actually do ship 9/Rose; they had a much better and much healthier dynamic than 10/Rose. Plus, Christopher Eccleston is like super hot.

Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : Thank you!

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _Super Shadow 2018_ : Very interesting.

 _laraceleste_ : Thank you! Oh, well, there is stuff that was supposed to come up with the Master in the next story.


	17. The Idiot's Lantern: This Island Earth

**A/N** : This is the second part of _The Idiot's Lantern._ And it's kind of building on the whole emotional fiasco of the last chapter, all that tension between the Doctor and the Priestess. So, we'll have to see how the Doctor reacts when he finds out that the Priestess is essentially an empty body.

 **Warnings** : Angst, fluff, etc.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 17**

 **The Idiot's Lantern: This Island Earth**

"Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know." The Detective Inspector stared down at the Doctor, sternly, standing over him, who sat at the other side of his desk.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Well... for starters... I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet," he said, easily.

The Detective Inspector shoved a finger in his face. "Don't get clever with me," he scolded, harshly. "You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now, you're connected with this. Make no mistake." He said, grimly.

"Well, the thing _is_ , Detective Inspector Bishop-"

"How do you know my name?" Bishop interjected, sharply.

The Doctor looked apologetic. "It's... written inside your collar," he said, haltingly.

Bishop's face contorted with embarrassment and he adjusted his collar, awkwardly.

A smile flickered on the Doctor's face. "Bless your mum. But, I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector," he leaned forward. "You're not exactly doing much detective inspecting. Are you?" he said, almost mockingly.

"I'm doing everything in my power," Bishop snapped.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can. Don't tell me…" His voice deepened, patronisingly. "Orders from above, hm? Coronation Day... the eyes of the world are on London Town... so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight," he said, distastefully.

All the while, the Doctor was spinning from side to side in his chair, nonchalant as if nothing fazed him. Bishop looked on, slightly annoyed that the Doctor had guessed the truth of the matter without any word from himself

"The nation has an image to maintain," Bishop said, darkly.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't it drive you mad?" he asked, incredulously. "Doing nothing? Don't you wanna get out there and _investigate_?"

Bishop frowned. "Course I do. But..." He took the seat opposite to the Doctor. "With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man-power," he confessed. "Even if we did... this is... beyond anything we've ever seen." He said, wearily, helplessly. "I just don't know anymore. Twenty years on the force..." He trailed off, as the Doctor leaned towards him, listening carefully. "... I don't even know where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on."

"Well," the Doctor drawled. "That could change," he said, slowly.

Bishop frowned. "How?"

The Doctor jumped to his feet, staring down at Bishop. His shoulders squared. "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know," he said, firmly.

* * *

A black car pulled into the warehouse. Two men got out of the car and pulled someone covered in a blanket out of the back seat, along with an anxious girl, and they led the two away.

* * *

The Doctor was poised, thoughtfully, in front of a large map on a stand, Bishop beside him.

"We started finding them about a month ago. Persons left sans visage. Heads just... blank," Bishop explained.

The Doctor peered at the map. "Is there any sort of pattern?" His fingers grazed a file he found on a nearby desk.

"Yes, spreading out from North London. All over the City. Men, women, kids... grannies... the only _real_ lead is there's been quite a large number in-"

"Florizel Street," the Doctor finished for him.

There was a knock at the Doctor and both the Doctor and Bishop looked up.

"Found another one, sir," one of Bishop's officers said, lowly.

He ushered in a familiar figure, a blanket thrown over her head, but she was unmistakeable. In fact, in a different time, in different circumstances, the Doctor may have even joked that he could always recognise her by her legs. No one had legs like she did. The Doctor stared at her for a moment, his blood rushing to his ears, as he swore time stilled around him. His eyes ventured nowhere but the blanketed woman, even if Rose's somewhat hysterical explanation half-heartedly reached his ears.

"Oh, er… good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor..."

The Doctor dropped the files back on the table, carelessly, and walked towards the Priestess, slowly, ignoring Rose and her distress, his hand reached out to brush her shoulder but stopping mid-way.

"Take a good look. See what you can deduce."

The policeman slipped the blanket off the Priestess' head, and the Doctor flinched, his face falling, when he caught sight of her bare visage. Something in him broke and he reached out across their bond to find something, hear her thoughts, her emotions, just _something_. But, it was empty.

 _She was empty._

"'Tess." It was a cold breath from the Doctor, her name.

Bishop looked at him, curiously. "Do you know her?" he asked.

" _Know_ her?" the Doctor said, incredulously. "She's…"

 _My everything_ , the Doctor's thoughts finished his sentence for him.

He was barely centimetres away from her, at that point, staring down at her featureless face. The voices in the background faded to the point, where he couldn't hear anything, and it didn't seem to faze him, so focused on the Priestess.

"They found her in the street, apparently, over at Master Square, abandoned."

"That's unusual, that's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day, we'll have Torchwood on our back, make no mistake."

"They did what?" the Doctor asked, coldly.

"I'm sorry?" Bishop looked at him, curiously.

"They left here _where_?" The Doctor's voice was remarkably calm, but anyone who knew him could hear the utter _fury_ that was underlying every word.

"Just... in the street," Bishop said, confused.

"In the street," the Doctor said, quietly, nodding to himself. "They left her in the _street_. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street." His voice darkened. "And as a result, that makes things... simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?"

His eyes snapped to the confused policemen and Rose, and he took his glasses off.

"No..."

"Because _now_ , Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that can stop me," the Doctor snapped. "Come on!"

He made for the door, not even looking back to check whether the others follow him.

* * *

The Doctor, with Rose on the back of his scooter, and Bishop burst out of the gates, into the dawn sunlight.

"The big day dawns..." Bishop said, lowly.

However, the Doctor did not reply, and instead willed his scooter to go faster.

* * *

The Doctor rapped his knuckles on the door, impatiently waiting until Tommy opened the door from the other side.

"Tommy, talk to me," he said, tersely.

Tommy looked over his shoulder, nervously, before stepping outside the door and closing it behind him.

"I need to know exactly what happened inside your house," the Doctor said, grimly.

There was something in his eyes that had Tommy's hackles rising. Earlier, he had been all wit and idealistic anger, but now, there was something desperate in his eyes, as if the world had been stolen out from underneath him and he was aching to get it back. He looked to the side and saw the pretty blonde girl – _Rose,_ he thought her name was – and wondered where the other one was, and whether she – or at the very least, her absence – was the cause behind the Doctor's change in demeanour.

But before he could ask the question aloud, the door behind him was pulled open violently, and a fuming Mr Connolly appeared in the doorway, and he immediately rounded on Tommy, who took a weary, frightened, almost instinctual step back, as if to protect himself.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing?" Mr Connolly hissed, gruffly.

Tommy squared his shoulders. "I wanna help, Dad," he said, firmly.

The Doctor's clenched fists betrayed his impatience as he looked between father and son. "Mr Connolly…" he trailed off, warningly.

Mr Connolly gave him a withering look. "Shut your face, you. Whoever you are. We can handle this ourselves." He turned back to Tommy. "Listen you, little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain." His voice lowered, darkly. "People round here respect me. It _matters_ what people _think_."

"Is that why you did it, Dad?" Tommy asked, bravely, tipping his chin up.

Mr Connolly's face was wiped clean of any anger, and he was left bemused. "What d'you mean? Did what?"

"You ratted on Gran," Tommy said, knowingly, a flash of fury appearing in his young eyes. "How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them..." he hissed.

"How _dare_ you?" Mr Connolly growled. "You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?"

Tommy shook his head, incredulously. "You don't get it, do you? You fought _against_ fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could _do_ what we want. _Say_ what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation." His voice ended with disgust.

Rita appeared in the doorway, her face white with disbelief. "Eddie... is that true?" she whispered, haltingly.

Eddie looked at his wife like a deer caught in headlights, his eyes wide. "I did it for _us_ , Rita!" he said, fiercely. "She was _filthy_. A filthy, disgusting _thing_."

Rita simply stared at him as if she had never realised how cruel he could be. "She's my mother," she said, quietly. "All the others, you informed on all the people in our street, our friends."

"I had to." His limbs flailed slightly. "I did the right thing!"

Rita shook her head. "The right thing for us... or for you, Eddie?" she asked, pointedly. Eddie stared at her, as Rita turned to Tommy. "You go, Tommy. You go with the Doctor and do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison," she said, roughly. "We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!"

Her voice was thick with tears and she stormed back inside, slamming the door right on Eddie's face.

The Doctor paused. "Tommy?" he queried out loud.

Tommy nodded, briskly, and the three men, along with Rose, walked away down the street, leaving Eddie alone and defeated, on the doorstep, locked out of his own house. The streets were busy as they passed through them, people carrying tables and chairs and bowls of food out onto the road, in preparation of a street party.

"Tommy, tell me about that night. The night she changed," the Doctor said, quickly.

Tommy pursed his lips. "She was just watching the telly," he explained, lamely.

The Doctor gritted his teeth, eyes dawning with realisation, as his gaze turned upwards in the direction of the television aerials. He rounded on Rose, who remained pale and silent, lost for words in a situation she wasn't for which she wasn't prepared.

"All these aerials in one little street, how come?" the Doctor echoed Rose's earlier words.

 _Damn it, Nikki, why didn't you wait for me?_

But he knew the answer as soon as the question had occurred to him. And it dug into his hearts like serrated hook.

"It was Mr Magpie, Doctor," Rose said, haltingly, slightly awed and frightened by the manic look of anger and desperation on the Doctor's face, as he barely looked behind to see if she and Tommy would follow, before racing off in the direction of Magpie's shop.

"Was it now?" Bishop murmured.

"Come on!" the Doctor roared from his place down the street.

* * *

The Doctor paid no attention to courtesy when he smashed a glass figurine into Magpie's door, in order to gain entry to the shop.

"Here, you can't do that-" Bishop protested, faintly.

But the Doctor knew nothing but the rage roaring in his ears, as he opened the door from the inside and stormed up to the counter.

"Shop?" he called out, sharply. His hand slammed on top of the bell that was placed on the counter. "If you're here, come out and talk to me! MAGPIE?" He shouted in the direction of the back of the shop.

"Maybe he's out." Tommy supplied, hesitantly.

"Looks like it..." the Doctor muttered, furiously.

He made his way behind the counter and started to rifle through the drawers. His eyes glinted when his hands grazed a device that looked like an amalgamation of a portable radio and a television set.

"Oh, hello... this isn't right. This is very much _not_ right." The Doctor scowled to himself. Much to Rose, Tommy and Bishop's surprise, the Doctor leaned down and swiped over the metallic surface with his tongue. "Tastes like iron. Bakelite." He dropped it back down onto the counter. "Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself..." he trailed off, his sonic screwdriver whirring over it. "Oh, beautiful work. That is so simple."

"That's incredible," Bishop murmured in awe. "It's like a television, but portable. A portable television!" He said, shaking his head in disbelief.

The Doctor ignored the inspector's technology shock and raised the sonic screwdriver, pointing it around the room, to which the televisions turned onto a static channel.

"It's not the only power source in this room..." the Doctor gritted his teeth. For the first time in a while, he looked at Rose. "Which screen did you say it was?"

Suddenly, amidst the humming of the sonic screwdriver, the static gradually faded away, and on each screen, a difference – each of the people stolen by the Wire – appeared instead. They were all terrified, mouthing soundless pleas for help, and the Doctor watched them all, his brow furrowed.

Tommy's eyes landed on a specific screen. "Gran?" he asked, bemused, horrified.

The Doctor knelt in front of a screen, staring at the Priestess, as she mouthed his name over and over again, an undying chant that had his muscles locking together. He ran a tense hand through his hair, hating himself for not being able to do more than what he was doing now. Nine-hundred years, a Time Lord's intelligence and ten lives, and it had amounted to nothing if he couldn't save her – her, who had been everything to him since the moment he tripped (with all the grace of a clumsy-limbed almost-eight-year-old) and fell at her feet and looked up to find (what he knew to be certain) the most beautiful girl in the whole universe – now.

If he couldn't save her now, there was no point to him at all.

"I'm coming," he swore.

 _I'll always come for you, Annika._

Magpie emerged from the back of the store. "What do you think you're doing?" he said, sharply.

With a snap of his gaze, the Doctor rounded on him, his eyes thunderous, his voice a low promise of destruction. "I want her restored and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician, so tell me, who's really in charge here?" he asked, his voice brooking no resistance.

"Yoohoo! I think that must be me."

The Wire had finally appeared on one of the screens. Despite Rose's explanation of what had happened earlier, the Doctor found himself turning around, surprised at her sudden appearance.

"Ooh, this one's smart as paint. Like the other one. Oh, she was _delicious_ ," the Wire purred.

Those words had the Doctor seeing red and it took everything in him to pull himself back before he did something he regretted, like put his fist through the screen as if it were paper, if only to assuage some of his intemperate rage.

"Is she talking to us?" Bishop stammered.

Magpie squared his shoulders, bravely. "Sorry, gentlemen, I'm... I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves. May I introduce you to my new... friend."

"Jolly nice to meet you," the Wire said, cheerfully. "Or," she eyed Rose. "At least, most of you."

Bishop swallowed hard. "Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly."

The Doctor shook his head, his face cold. "No, it's just using her image," he explained, tersely.

"What... what are you?" Tommy stammered, taking a hesitant step backwards.

The Wire smiled, serenely. "I'm the Wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me."

The screen gradually colourised.

"Good Lord, colour television!" Bishop breathed.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "So your own people tried to stop you?"

The Wire's smile twisted, angrily. "They executed me. But I escaped, in this form, and fled across the stars."

The Doctor's lips curled into a smirk. "And now you're trapped in the television," he said, mockingly.

In a flash, the smile had faded from the Wire's face, along with the colour from the television.

"Not for much longer," she said, coldly.

"Is this what got my gran?" Tommy looked at the Doctor, nervously.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it gorges itself like a great overfed pig. Taking people's faces, their essences, it _stuffs_ itself." His voiced thinned with disgust.

Bishop rounded on Magpie. "And you let her do it, Magpie," he said, darkly.

"I had to!" Magpie said, defensively. "She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation," he explained, wearily.

Tommy's brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

The Wire fluttered her eyelashes. "The appointed time, my crowning glory," she said, slyly.

Bishop's eyes dawned with realisation. "Doctor, the coronation!"

The Doctor grimaced. "For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set." He approached her, a smug smile flitting on his face. "But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need _this_!" He held up the portable television he had found earlier. "You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

The Wire's eyes tightened. "What a clever thing you are! But why fret about it? Why not just relax?" she asked, innocently. "Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me, you'll be glued to the screen." She crooned.

Lines of red sparkling light suddenly seized all four faces into the Wire's television screen.

"Doctor!" Rose, Tommy and Bishop called out, fearfully.

"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!"

The Doctor growled with effort and managed to pull out his sonic screwdriver.

The Wire's voice became panicked. "Armed! He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!" she shrieked.

She severed the connection between herself and them, and the four fell to the floor, unconscious.

Moments later, the Doctor's eyes snapped open and he vaulted to his feet, his heart sinking into his stomach when he found that Rose and the Inspector were missing their faces. He knelt beside his companion's fallen form, his fingers brushing apologetically over her blonde waves. He hated to leave her, but in doing so, he would save both the Priestess and her.

And there was a dark part of him that whispered, if he had to make the choice, it would always be Annika.

He turned to his other side and with lightened hearts, tapped Tommy on the face until he awakened.

"Tommy, wake up! Tommy! Come on!"

"What happened?" Tommy asked, groggily, bleary-eyed.

"Where's Magpie?" the Doctor looked around.

The two ran outside the shop to find that Magpie's van was missing from its spot outside.

"We don't even know where to start looking, it's too late," Tommy bemoaned.

The Doctor shook his head. "It's never too late, as a wise person once said…" He frowned to himself. "– Kylie, I think –" He blinked. "But the Wire's got a big plan... so it'll need..." He licked his lips, thoughtfully. "Yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the population... millions and millions of people... and where are we?" He looked around, curiously.

"Muswell Hill," Tommy answered, promptly.

"Muswell Hill," The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Muswell Hill! Which means..." His gaze turned until he spotted a large building on the horizon and gestured to it with both hands, frantically. "Alexandra Palace, biggest TV transmitter in North London! Oh! That's why they chose this place! Tommy?" He looked down at the younger boy.

"What are you going to do?" Tommy asked, curiously.

The Doctor dashed back inside Magpie's shop. "We're going shopping."

Tommy ran and joined the Doctor, the two of them haphazardly running around and gathering equipment. Finally, Tommy held up a device.

"Is this what you want?" he asked.

The Doctor nodded, briskly. "Perfect! Right, I need one more thing."

He placed a bundle of machinery in Tommy's upturned arms, and the two ran out onto the streets, both loaded with equipment.

"Let's go."

The two ran down a street, the Doctor plugging a device into the huge equipment bank that Tommy was carrying. Once they reached Alexandria Palace, Tommy spotted Magpie on the pylon that loomed over them.

"There!" he pointed.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Come on!"

There was a uniformed man standing in front of the metal fence, and he halted their tracks. "Woah, woah, woah! Where do you think-"

The Doctor flashed the psychic paper at him.

"Oh!" the man flushed. "I'm sorry sir! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"

"They're saving me a seat," the Doctor said, vaguely.

The officer nodded, confused, and watched as the Doctor and Tommy ran off.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked, curiously, as they rounded a corner.

The Doctor glanced down at the psychic paper, and his lips twitched half in amusement. "King of Belgium, apparently."

* * *

Inside the control room of Alexandria Palace, the Doctor was dashing around, gathering the equipment he needed, while Tommy was placed in front of a video machine and a television screen.

On his way out, the Doctor rounded on Tommy.

"Keep it switched on," he ordered, firmly. "Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?" he said, fiercely.

 _Annika depends on it._

Tommy nodded, solidly.

* * *

The Doctor sprinted back around the corner, past the confused official, leaving a long trail of magnetic recording tape behind him, originating from a reel around his waist. He scaled the metal stairs and began to climb up the transmitter, hot on Magpie's pursuit.

"You'll get yourself killed up there! Your Majesty!" the official called out, sceptically.

* * *

The Doctor finally managed to reach somewhat close to Magpie, his arms and legs aching with the speed and stress of his movements.

Magpie looked down at him, his face etched with terror. "It's too late! It's too late for all of us!" He shouted down towards the Doctor, miserably.

"I shall consume you... Doctor," the Wire said, sweetly, from her vantage point on the screen Magpie was clutching close to his chest.

The Doctor was hit in the face with the unyielding red light, and he couldn't help but cry out.

"I won't let you do this, Magpie!" the Doctor growled.

Magpie shook his head. "Help me, Doctor! It burns! It took my face, my soul!" he sobbed, roughly.

The Wire smiled. "You cannot stop the Wire. Soon, I shall become manifest."

The Doctor careened backwards when he was blasted again, his hands tightened on the bars of the pylon.

Magpie grimaced. "No more of this! You promised me peace!" he pleaded down at the television screen.

The Wire's eyes flickered. "And peace you shall have," she said, almost kindly.

And then, Magpie burst into thousands of particles, sending red sparks fluttering in the air, as if he were made of fireworks. The Wire laughed as Magpie screamed and died. The Doctor growled in frustration and reached out, trying to touch the portable television, but he was forced back by a shock of red on his hand.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Been burning the candle at both ends? You've overextended yourself, missus. You shouldn't have had a crack at poor old Magpie there." He said, mockingly.

The Doctor held onto his own television, as she zapped him in the foot, to which he simply smiled.

"Rubber souls! Swear by them!" he crowed.

He inserted a switch into the television, but the moment crashed and the Wire remained as solid as she was.

The Wire cackled. "Oh, dear! Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?" she asked, mockingly.

The Doctor stared down at the television, horrified.

 _No, it can't end like this, I won't lose her like this-_

Moments later, as if someone had heard his plea, his desperation, the Doctor watched with stunned silence, as the light beams that were currently traversing the length of the metal pylons, were sucked right back into the Wire's portable television. The Wire writhed and wailed with pain, thwarted.

"It's closed down, I'm afraid," the Doctor said, scathingly, watching with vicious glee as the Wire screamed. "And no epilogue." He said, soberly.

With one last piercing shriek from the Wire, the television shut off of its own accord and the Doctor stared at it, unfathomably, for a moment.

* * *

With a rattling breath, the Priestess reached up and grazed her own cheek with her fingertips.

She smiled.

* * *

Tommy was watching the coronation on one of the screens when the Doctor returned, hands shoved in his pockets, face weary, but relieved.

"What have I missed?" the Doctor asked, curiously.

Tommy's eyes were wide when they landed on the Doctor. "Doctor!" he called out in surprise. "What happened?"

"Sorted." The Doctor shrugged. "Electrical creature, television technology, clever alien life form, that's me by the way," he commented, wryly. "I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the Wire in here." He gestured to the videotape in his hands. "I just invented the home video 30 years earlier. Betamax." His eyes dragged over towards the screening of the coronation, and something in his eyes flickered. "Oh, look! God save the Queen, eh?"

* * *

Tommy and the Doctor finally returned to Florizel Street, only to find the road brimming with people milling around amidst chairs and tables, piled with food.

Tommy's eyes lit up when he caught sight of a familiar face.

"Gran!" he shouted, happily, and raced towards her.

Tommy's grandmother had tears in her eyes when she saw him. "Look, it's my grandson! Oh, son!"

Tommy barrelled into her and with strength that was strange for a woman of her age, his grandmother seized him into an embrace.

But the Doctor had long since forgotten about Tommy.

It was only when he saw her that he could even think about smiling again. She looked at him like he was the most important person in her universe and there was no one else she wanted to see more than him, and she held her arms out, beckoning him to her.

It was as if all the strain between them had faded away in a single moment, and all that was left was that fierce devotion to each other that echoed in every word, every gesture, every thought. Before he knew it, he was running like a mad man and he was winding his long arms around her waist and pulling her into his arms and into the air and spinning around, grinning at the sound of her shriek of surprise. When her feet finally landed on the ground, the Doctor leaned down and his lips brushed the curve of her shoulder, his hand spanning the width of her spine.

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again," he said, roughly. "I don't think I could bear it one more time."

Her hand smoothed through his hair, slowly, and he closed his eyes.

* * *

Rose joined them, after a short time, and she gave the Priestess a withering look when she saw that the Doctor seemed in no hurry to tear himself away from her side. She gave him a few scathing words as to him leaving her in Magpie's shop, to which he ducked his head down, sheepishly, and offered an apology that was mired in regret, but there was a part of him that deemed any action acceptable if it meant that it aided in Annika's safety. But it was enough for Rose and she smiled back at him, sweetly, and it had all been forgotten.

Out on the street, music was playing and people were out on the street, dancing and talking. Trestle tables lined the centre of the road, covered in pastries, cakes and drinks, while the the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose walked down the street.

"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd," Rose offered, glowering at the Doctor and the Priestess' joined hands.

The Doctor snatched a sponge cake off one of the tables, chewing on it thoughtfully. "Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance. This is history right here." He gestured, broadly.

"The domestic approach," the Priestess said, lightly.

The Doctor nodded, imperiously. "Exactly."

The Priestess' lips twitched and she shook her head in fond amusement as he chuckled at his own joke.

Rose cleared her throat, willing the moment between the two aliens to end. "Will it... that thing... is it trapped for good, on video?" she asked, doubtfully.

The Doctor shrugged. "Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans temporal extirpation methods to neutralise the residual electronic pattern," he said, lowly.

Rose's brow furrowed in confusion, and the Priestess rolled her eyes.

"You what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor's lips twitched. "I'm going to tape over it," he said, slowly.

Rose threw her head back and laughed, exposing the long, lean line of her throat. "Just leave it to me, I'm always doing that," she said, teasingly.

It was then they ran into Tommy.

"Tell you what, Tommy, you can have the scooter. Little present," the Doctor said, approvingly. The Priestess looked at him, sharply, and he winced. "Best... um... keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?" He nudged the boy in the side.

Behind them, Eddie walked down the street with his suitcase, as Rita embraced her mother, uncaring as to her husband's fate.

Tommy looked over the Doctor's shoulder and his face tightened. "Good riddance," he said, coldly.

The Doctor followed his line of sight and he pursed his lips. "Is that it then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world, no room for a man like Eddie Connelly," he said, knowingly.

Tommy nodded, fiercely. "That's right. He deserves it."

The Priestess frowned, seeing something remarkably similar to regret, or at the very least, doubt, flickering in the young boy's eyes. She stepped forwards, placing a hand on his shoulder, surprising even herself with the careful touch. It had been a long time since she had instigated physical affection with anyone but the Doctor and Jack, especially since her time pinned against the gurney, while Van Statten and his men had sliced and carved into her, but she still found her skin prickling with discomfort and a gnawing desire to pull away emerged, but she forced it down for the moment.

"Tommy," she said, lowly. "My father was cruel, selfish, miserable and hateful. He loved only an idea of me, but never _me_. He tore me down at every opportunity, in order to remind me of my _place._ There existed nothing beyond what he saw was my power and his ambition, and he felt no guilt in hurting me. I was not _alive_ in his eyes." She said, bitterly. "I was an object to him."

Ice settled in her veins with the reminder of an old pain, and the Doctor's reassuring presence in her mind felt like a balm to wounds that should have disappeared long ago, but persistently remained.

"But now that he is dead, I find myself wishing I had made amends with him, or at the very least, confronted him. If only to soothe my own hurts." Her eyes were doe-brown and earnest. "I would not wish my fate on you, Tommy," she said, solemnly.

Tommy stared up at her and imagined a world without his father, if he never went after him, and it _hurt_. It hurt like hell, even despite everything his father had done to the people he was supposed to care for, so he found himself nodding at the Priestess, and she beamed back at him, an uncharacteristic display of emotion of her, and he flushed, because when a pretty girl smiled with approval, you didn't do anything but blush. And he ran off in the direction of his father, until he was walking side by side with him, and he took his bag off his hands.

The Doctor passed two glasses of orange juice into the Priestess' and Rose's hands and the three clinked their glasses together, watching fondly as Eddie and Tommy walked off down the street, together.

* * *

 **Reviews** :

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : Thank you!

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _Celaena007_ : Thank you! As for whether she'll be trapped in the parallel world like Rose, you'll have to find out. She won't be getting pregnant any time soon, and no, the Priestess won't die and 10.5 will not be falling in love with Rose!

 _geogirl2014_ : Thank you!


	18. The Impossible Planet: Angry Red Planet

**A/N** : And here we have _The Impossible Planet_. I can't promise things are going to be much better here, guys.

 **Warnings** : Angst. Fluff.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 18**

 **The Impossible Planet: Angry Red Planet**

The TARDIS' landing was not smooth this time, the outer shell rocking with groans and wheezing as if it wanted to be anywhere but there. The Priestess grazed the doorframe to the TARDIS with concern, as the Doctor and Rose stepped outside the doors in front of her.

"I dunno what's wrong with her, she's sort of... queasy. Indigestion, like she didn't wanna land," the Doctor said, worriedly.

The Priestess opened her mouth to argue the point.

"Oh, if you think there's gonna be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else…" Rose offered, lightly.

And then both prompt burst out laughing at this seemingly absurd notion.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _Fools_. She looked at the TARDIS, visibly anxious. She had learnt never to distrust the instincts of a sentient time ship.

And, not that she would admit it aloud, but there was something here, on this planet they had landed upon, that made her quite sick as well. There was a sort of unpleasant churning in her stomach and she placed her palm on the underside of her belly, over the lightweight cotton of her flower-printed dress and cobalt-blue leggings, shutting her eyes and drowning out the heaving that was currently putting her internal organs into alarm.

The Doctor looked around with curiosity. "I think..." he trailed off. "…we've landed inside a cupboard! Here we go!"

He pushed the door open and they entered another part of the base.

"Open Door 15," a computerised voice accompanied their movements.

"Some sort of base... moon base, sea base, space base... they build these things out of kits," the Doctor commented.

Rose fell silent, listening to the turmoil that was occurring beyond the walls of the base. "Glad we're indoors, sounds like a storm out there..." she said, worriedly.

"Open Door 16."

They walked into a corridor.

"Human design, you've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier," the Doctor explained, looking around.

Finally, they entered what looked to be a canteen area.

"Open Door 17."

The Doctor's eyes dawned with realisation. "Oh, it's a sanctuary base!" he cried out, once he strode into the centre of the room.

"Close Door 17," the computer intoned once Rose had closed the door.

"Deep Space exploration. We've gone way out. And listen to that, underneath..." the Doctor pointed downwards, indicating for Rose to listen the hum of drills. "Someone's drilling."

"Krop Tor," the Priestess said, suddenly, and the Doctor and Rose turned to her. "The name of this planet is Krop Tor. It is orbiting a black hole known as K37 Gem 5."

The Doctor frowned. "How'd you figure that one out?"

The Priestess held up her sonic lipstick with a raised eyebrow. "Just because you restrict the use of your sonic device to opening locked doors does not mean that the rest of us have such… _unimaginative_ applications for our own sonic devices," she said, bitingly.

The Doctor flushed and hid his embarrassment, but straightened when he went over what she had said. "Hold on, orbiting a _black hole_? That's impossible. You can't orbit-"

He was unceremoniously cut off by Rose, who looked up at the wall, as if she were unable to bear the Doctor distracted by the Priestess for a moment longer.

"Welcome to hell," she intoned.

The Doctor clucked his tongue in disapproval. "Oh, it's not _that_ bad!" he protested.

Rose laughed at his words and pointed at the wall. "No, over there!"

The words 'WELCOME TO HELL' were scrawled on the wall, with ancient symbols written underneath. The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged an uneasy look.

"Hold on..." The Doctor approached the strange graffiti, cautiously. "What does that say?" He peered closely at the ancient text, but it remained stubbornly incomprehensible. Even for him. "That's weird. It won't translate," he murmured in confusion.

Rose frowned. "But I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well. We should see English," she said, pointedly.

"No," the Priestess shook her head. "The Psio-Linguistic Translator is only able to translate languages stored within its data banks. Therefore, if the Translator is failing now, this would mean that the data banks of our TARDIS have no record of the existence of this language, which is… strange, considering that a Type 40 TARDIS is antiquated compared to newer models," she mused. "This writing is impossibly old. I would surmise that it is older than the Eye of Harmony itself."

The Doctor slid to his feet, his face a mask of concentration. "We should find out who's in charge," he said, grimly. "We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough-"

"You should never distrust the instincts of a TARDIS," the Priestess scolded, firmly.

"Well, you could've said something!" the Doctor snapped back.

Honestly, they had argued more in the last weeks than they had during their entire relationship. Although, he didn't know whether that just meant he was useless at realising when she was upset enough for an argument. Had he really just ignored her screaming on the inside for nine-hundred years? No wonder she could barely stand to look at him now.

"You were _not_ paying attention," the Priestess growled through gritted teeth.

"Hey, lay off him-" Rose began, hotly.

"Contrary to – I imagine – your popular belief, Rose, the Doctor does not need your support to defend himself against me. I would suggest that you do not involve yourself in matters that do not concern you," the Priestess said, sharply.

"'Tess," the Doctor began, disapprovingly, eyeing Rose's slowly-turning-crimson-with-either-humiliation-or-anger face.

He started to turn the wheel to open the door.

"Open Door 19."

The door swung open and whatever the Doctor was about to admonish his Bondmate with died in his throat when strange alien creatures with tentacles sprouting from their upper lip appeared in the doorway, blinking at them. The Doctor and Rose gasped in shock, stumbling backwards a few steps, while the Priestess merely took in a sharp breath, her fists curling at her side.

"Right! Hello! Sorry! Uh... I was just saying, uh... nice base!" the Doctor said, weakly, attempting to regain his composure.

"We must feed," the aliens said, solemnly.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "You're gonna what?"

"We must feed."

"Yeah. I think they mean us," Rose said, high-pitched.

The three backed away as the aliens advanced.

"We must feed."

They tried to make it for another door, but it opened as well and more of the creatures came through it.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

Yet another door opened and more aliens walked slowly through it, almost in a march, leaving the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose cornered.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor and the Priestess armed themselves with their sonic devices, as Rose steeled herself with a chair, backed against a wall, with the Priestess purposefully behind the Doctor because even in the midst of all their tension, the Other would take him before he would let her endanger herself while he was still alive to do something about it.

"We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor and Rose, screwdriver and chair at the ready, are backed against the wall by the advancing aliens.

Suddenly, the alien that headed the swarm shook and tapped the white orb he held in front of him.

"You. If you are hungry."

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look of confusion and slowly lowered their sonic screwdriver and lipstick.

"Sorry?" the Doctor called out, hesitantly.

"We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems," the alien said, gently.

Rose slowly put down the chair.

"Would you like some refreshment?"

"Um…" the Doctor drawled in uncertainty.

"Open Door 18."

A door opened and a middle-aged man stalked through, flanked by two others holding guns at the ready.

"What the hell...? How did...?"

The element of disbelief in his eyes confused the Priestess, as the man approached the three of them.

"Captain…" the man stammered into his communication device, absolutely incredulous. "You're not going to believe this. We've got _people_. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean three... _living_... people. Just standing here, right in front of me."

The three exchanged looks.

"Don't be stupid, that's impossible," the captain's distorted voice returned, his voice equally unconvinced.

The man simply stared at the three visitors. "I suggest telling _them_ that," he said, pointedly.

"But you're a sort of space base, you must have visitors now and then. It can't be _that_ impossible," Rose argued.

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?" the man asked, roughly.

The Doctor shrugged. "No idea. More fun that way." He grinned and when the Priestess raised an eyebrow, he cleared his throat. "Krop Tor, did you say, 'Tess?"

She nodded back.

A woman's voice came over loudspeaker, human and lacking that sharp edge that signified an automated message.

"Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake Point 5 on its way."

As the base began to quake and tremble visibly, to the point that the very structure of the room the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose had found themselves in started to shake, the man who had found them rushed over to a door and swung it open.

"Through here! Now. Quickly, come on!" he ushered them, urgently.

When the sirens sounded, the three ran to follow him through the door, along with the two other security guards.

"Now!"

They came into another corridor which was also shaking, smoke rising from the floor in complete chaos.

"Move it! Come on! Come on, come on!" the man shouted over the noise of the tremors.

Rose screamed as she tripped over some debris that had fallen into their path, sparks flying everywhere.

"Move it, come on! Quickly! Move it!"

They hurried down that corridor until they found themselves in the control room, where everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and stared at them as they walked inside, their mouths wide open. The Doctor took this as a chance to beam around at everyone, innocently.

"Oh, my _God_. You meant it," the captain breathed.

"People! Look at that! Real people!" a young girl stared at them, amazed.

"That's us. Hooray!" the Doctor said, cheerfully.

Rose smiled, sweetly, at them. "Yeah, definitely real," she joked. "My name's Rose... Rose Tyler, and-and this is the Doctor." She gestured to the man next to her, almost proudly, as if wanting to draw attention to the fact that she was _with_ him. "Oh, and this is the Priestess." She said, almost as if the Priestess' presence was something she didn't want to acknowledge.

A young man strode over. "Come on... the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be... no." He jabbed the Doctor in the chest. "They're real!" he exclaimed.

"Come _on_ ," The captain rolled his eyes, impatiently. "We're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds!" The seconds counted down on a computer screen. The captain turned to the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose. "Sorry, you three, whoever you are. Just... hold on. Tight."

Rose's brow furrowed. "Hold on to what?"

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?"

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose found some railings to hold onto.

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated," the Ood, which was apparently the name for the alien creatures that the three had mistakenly thought were about to eat them, said, blankly.

The Doctor leaned towards the Priestess. "You said the name of this planet was Krop Tor, right?" he asked, carefully.

The Priestess nodded her assent.

An older woman shook her head, incredulously. "Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?" The Doctor and the Priestess raised their eyebrows. "You really don't know, do you?"

"And... IMPACT!" the captain shouted.

The entire base shook violently. The crew, the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose all clung on tight for the few short moments that the quake lasted, and finally the Doctor stood.

"Oh, well, that wasn't so bad-"

He was suddenly thrown backwards as the base shook even more viciously than it did before, clinging to the railing for dear life. The Priestess hid her amusement at the turn of events and she rocked to and fro as the the ground and everything around her shuddered. Sparks flew around the room, originating from a small explosion from one of the consoles, and they were all thrown around like rag-dolls.

Finally, the tremors ceased.

The Priestess' hand coiled around the railing once more as a sharp pain struck low in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her for a brief moment, before she bore through it. It was an odd sort of pain, sharp and not aching, which would be understandable in the event that she had injured herself during the quake. It was like snakes writhing in her belly, like when she'd bled when her children wanted to come out of her, and it didn't seem to be fading; instead it fuelled her anxiety and kept part of her mind focused on the searing clench in her abdomen.

"Okay, that's it," the captain sighed.

The man that had ushered them into the control room hurried forwards with a fire extinguisher between his hands.

"Everyone all right?" the captain asked. His gaze turned in the direction of the older woman. "Speak to me, Ida?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Ida waved him off.

"Danny?"

"Fine," Danny, the young man who had spoken to them earlier, replied.

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine," the other young man said, quietly.

"Scooti?"

"No damage," Scooti said, cheerfully.

"Jefferson?"

"Check!"

"We're fine, thanks, fine, yeah, don't worry about us," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

His offence made the Priestess smile despite herself and the Doctor caught it out of the corner of his eye, the sight of it filling it with enough warmth to make his next grin blinding.

It had been too long since the Priestess had smiled because of something _he_ had done.

"The surface caved in," the captain said, morosely. "I deflected it onto storage 5 through 8. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department," Toby argued.

Zach sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just do as I say, yeah?"

Toby grudgingly left the room, an irritated expression fixed on his face.

"Oxygen holding. Internal gravity: 56.6. We should be okay," Ida said, her shoulders slumping.

Rose looked around, squinting. "Never mind the earthquake, that's... that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?"

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum," Scooti said, lightly.

 _Which, I assume, is the black hole their data spoke of earlier,_ the Priestess murmured to the Doctor.

 _I keep telling you, a sanctuary base of this side could never escape a black hole_ ,the Doctor retorted.

 _And I continue to inform you, I know what I read. And I know what the TARDIS felt as we landed. And I know what I felt when we stepped out of that cupboard. There is something wrong there._

 _I think you just get a kick out of arguing with me_ ,the Doctor huffed.

Something in the Priestess writhed, unpleasantly, and she felt herself go hot with anger. _The universe does not revolve around you, Theta. And there was a time when you would call my instincts… what was it you used to say, ah, yes… 'supernatural'._ She shook her head, bitterly. _You doubt me after all this time._

The Doctor felt the need to backtrack before he put himself further into the doghouse (not that he could ever express this to the Priestess, because she would just look at him blankly and ask him when did dogs become involved in their argument).

 _I don't doubt you. I just… you have to admit, it seems a bit far-fetched,_ the Doctor offered.

 _Nevertheless, it is the truth,_ the Priestess said, sharply.

Rose frowned at the others, unaware of the silent argument occurring beside her. "Then what's shaking the roof?"

"You're not joking. You really don't know?" Ida stared at them as if they were either stupid or the strangest aliens she had ever met. "Well, introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer." She indicated the captain. "Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir... you've met Mr Jefferson, he's head of security. Danny Bartock. Ethics committee."

"Not as boring as it sounds," Danny interjected, making the Doctor and Rose grin at them, while the Priestess remained stoic.

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, archaeology, and this..." She placed her hands on the young woman, almost maternal. "...is Scooti Manista. Trainee maintenance."

Scooti smiled at them while Ida went over to a set of controls.

"And this... this is home." Ida turned a lever and a whirring sound began.

"Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad," Zach said, solemnly.

The room was flooded with a crimson light as an overhead window opened up, revealing the sight of a black hole right above them. The Doctor and Rose stood, amazed, while the light around the black hole was swallowed into it, while the Priestess merely watched with crossed arms, unfathomably, although anyone who knew her well could see the tension in her muscles.

"That's a black hole," Rose mouthed.

"But that's impossible," The Doctor said, incredulously.

 _I believe the human saying is 'I told you so',_ the Priestess said, almost spitefully.

The Doctor resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her.

"I did warn you," Zach said, apologetically.

"We're standing under a black hole," the Doctor said, slowly.

"We're in orbit," Ida explained.

"But we can't be..." the Doctor trailed off, unable to take his eyes off the sight above him.

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit," Ida said, pointedly.

The Doctor turned to look at her, fiercely. "But we _can't_ be."

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss." Ida waved her hand in front of her.

Rose looked at the pale face of the Doctor. "And that's bad, yeah?" she said, carefully.

"'Bad' is a trivialisation," the Priestess said, flatly, answering for the Doctor when it became clear to her he was having difficulty accepting what he was seeing. "A black hole is a region of spacetime that has such a strong gravitational effect that it begins to pull everything around it inside as well. Nothing in the universe has the power to escape it. Light, gravity, time, they are all inevitable victims of the black hole."

"So, we can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in," Rose guessed.

The Priestess' lips twitched in morbid amusement. "We should be dead," she said, roughly.

"And yet... here we are. Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board," Ida said, cheerfully.

Rose frowned upwards. "But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" she asked, pointing to clouds speeding rapidly towards the black hole outside the base.

"Stars breaking up... gas clouds... we have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing."

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then," Rose joked, weakly.

"Just a bit." Ida shrugged.

"Just a bit, yeah."

The base had one last aftershock.

* * *

Zach tapped a button on the controls and a hologram of the black hole appeared before them, the Doctor putting his glasses on before he and the Priestess inspected the hologram.

 _I do not understand why you persist in this charade with the spectacles. You have perfect eyesight_ ,the Priestess scolded, lightly.

Amusement flickered towards her from his side of the bond.

 _They make me look smart,_ the Doctor teased, sending the mental version of a nudge along with his words.

The Priestess huffed. _As some item is needed to manufacture intelligence in you, of all the beings in this universe,_ she said, with the confidence of someone who had not only known him almost her entire life, but also held nothing but irrevocable faith and fidelity towards him, even if she had seen all those dark spots he compulsively tried to keep hidden from her.

It was her way of saying _I know we're fighting right now and it's hurting me but I love you and I'd never let anything change that._

It only made him want to fix things between them even more.

"That's the black hole officially designated K37 Gen 5," Zach explained.

"In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called 'Krop Tor'. The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison," Ida said, slowly.

 _I believe that is what I found in their archives,_ the Priestess commented.

 _You believe this whole demon story?_ the Doctor asked, slyly.

 _While I am initially sceptical of such a tale, our species were not the oldest in this universe, Theta. There are beings older than us. For all we know, there could be some element of truth to the origin of this planet. This situation is already highly unusual. What is to say that the rest of it is not true as well._

 _Come on, Nikki, since when do you start believing in demons?_ the Doctor scoffed.

 _Oh, yes, because neither of us have ever experienced anything remotely unexplainable by our vast knowledge of the universe,_ the Priestess said, dryly.

The Doctor paused. _Fair enough,_ he admitted, reluctantly.

"The bitter pill. I like that," Rose said, approvingly.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe, how did you even _get_ here?"

"We flew in. You see..." Zach pressed another button and the hologram changed to one of the planet with a gravity field emanating out from it like a tunnel. "This planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how, we've no idea, but... it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there." He gestured to some point on the hologram. "As a funnel. A distinct... gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" Rose grinned. "Like a rollercoaster."

The Priestess rolled her eyes, wondering if anyone had ever advised the girl as to the appropriate time to make silly jokes.

"By rights, the ship should've been torn apart. We lost the Captain... which is what put me in charge..." Zach trailed off, uncertainly.

"You're doing a good job," Ida hastened to console.

"Yeah. Well, needs must." Zach shrugged.

"But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out," Danny explained.

"We had fun speculating about tha.." Scooti said, dryly.

"Oh, yeah. That's the word." Danny whacked Scooti on the head with a scroll. "'Fun'."

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power! I mean... not just big, but off the scale! Can I...?" the Doctor gestured to the controls.

"Sure. Help yourself." Ida stepped aside, pushing the calculator over to him and the Priestess and leaving them to it.

One of the Ood approached Rose and handed her a cup.

"Your refreshment," it said, kindly.

Rose took it, gently. "Oh yeah, thanks. Thank you. I'm sorry," She bit her lip. "What was your name?"

"We have no titles. We are as one."

The Ood left and Rose took this as an opportunity to approach Danny.

"Um, what are they called?" Rose asked, hesitantly, gesturing to the Ood.

"Oh, come on. Where've you been living? Everyone's got one!" Danny said, slowly, as if she were stupid.

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Well, not me, so what are they?"

"They're the Ood."

"The 'Ood'?"

Danny nodded, emphatically. "The Ood."

"Well that's... ood," Rose joked.

"Very ood! But handy. They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision, and maintenance! They're born for it. Basic slave race."

Rose paused and her face twisted in distaste. "You've got slaves?"

Scooti gazed at her, amused. "Don't start, she's like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood."

Rose twitched. "Well maybe I am, yeah. Since when do humans need slaves?" she asked, sharply.

"But the Ood offer themselves. If you _don't_ give them orders, they just pine away and die," Danny said, confused, unable to reconcile the anger in Rose's tone.

One of the Ood approached Rose again, who eyed it carefully.

"Seriously? You like being ordered about?" she asked, dubiously.

"It is all we crave," the Ood replied, lowly.

Rose frowned. "Why's that, then?"

The Ood looked like it may shrug. "We have nothing else in life."

Rose's shoulders tensed. "Yeah, well I used to think like that. A long time ago," she said, fiercely.

The Doctor then shoved the calculator back into Zach's face.

"There we go. D'you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

"That's a lot of sixes," Rose joked.

"And it is impossible," the Priestess said, lowly.

"It took us two years to work that out!" Zach protested, staring from the calculator back to the Doctor and the Priestess.

The Doctor subtly preened. "I'm very good," he said, mock-modestly. The Priestess cleared her throat, pointedly. "Sorry, _we're_ very good." He amended.

"But... that's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it," Ida explained.

"It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen Scale."

"We could revolutionise modern science," Ida said, enthusiastically.

"We could use it to fuel the Empire," Jefferson said, quietly.

The Doctor slipped the glasses off. "Or start a war," he said, fiercely.

"It's buried beneath us. In the darkness, waiting," Toby said, solemnly.

The Priestess look at him with interest at that point, wondering why he would choose that particular wording.

"What's your job? Chief... dramatist?" Rose asked, dryly, making the Doctor smirk, which, in turn, made Rose flutter her eyelashes at him, proudly.

Toby looked irritated at Rose's attitude, his voice lowering. "Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomenon. And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk."

The Priestess stared at him, curiously. "Did you write the script on that wall?" she asked.

Toby nodded. "I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can't translate it." He shook his head, morosely.

"Nor can I," the Priestess said, quietly, her voice almost distant, as if she were distracted by something that no one else could see but her.

But knowing the Priestess, there actually _was_ something that no one else could see but her.

"And that's saying something," the Doctor said, grimly.

"There was some form of civilisation. They buried something. Now it's reaching out. Calling us in," Toby murmured.

The Doctor grinned at them, suddenly. "And you came," he said, brightly.

"Well, how could we not?" Ida shrugged.

Zach switched off the hologram.

The Doctor looked at the, fondly. "So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here? Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was _there_ ," he finished, grandly. "Brilliant. Excuse me, ah, Zach, wasn't it?" He looked at the captain.

"That's me." Zach nodded.

"Just stand there, 'cause I'm gonna hug you. Is that all right?" the Doctor asked, carefully.

Jefferson simply stared, sceptically.

"I s'pose so," Zach said, awkwardly.

The Doctor slowly edged towards him. "Here we go. Coming in." He threw his arms around Zach and clutched at him, beaming. "Ah, human beings, you are amazing!"

Ida simply looked bemused at the sight before her, while the Priestess rolled her eyes, fondly, at the Doctor's exuberance and Rose chuckled. Finally, the Doctor released Zach.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, cheerfully.

"Not at all." Zach cleared his throat.

"But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags and get back in that ship and fly for your lives," the Doctor said, simply.

"You can talk!" Ida blustered, her face splotched red in the cheeks. "You can talk! And how the hell did _you_ get here?"

"Oh, we've got this um... this... it's hard to explain, it just sort of... appears," the Doctor said, hesitantly.

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from um... oh, what's it called? Uh, habitation area..." Rose closed her eyes as she thought of the name.

It was then that the Priestess registered the reason why her stomach had been twisted since the aftershocks had faded and she felt panic, swift and thick, rise up in her throat.

"Three," the Doctor finished for Rose.

Rose nodded. "Three. Three."

Zach exchanged a look with the others. "Do you mean storage six?" he asked, slowly.

"You said-you said storage five through eight," the Priestess said, hoarsely.

She looked at the Doctor and before she saw realisation dawn in his eyes, she turned on her heel and ran out of the room as fast as the ballet flats on her feet would allow her to. The thump on the grill beneath her feet behind her informed her that the Doctor was fast on her trail, clearly having come to the same conclusion she had.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Rose shouted after them, following as quick as she could.

The Priestess threw open Door 19 and threw herself down the length of the room. She landed at the next door and the Doctor spun the wheel to try and open the door back through the other corridor.

"Stupid doors, come _on_!" the Doctor snapped.

It finally swung open and they emerged into yet another corridor. Finally, they hit Door 16 and the Priestess and the Doctor slammed themselves against it, frantically pushing at the button to open it, but to no avail.

"Door 16 out of commission," the computer sounded.

"Can't be, can't be!" the Doctor muttered.

"There must be _some way_ -" the Priestess hissed, flashing her sonic lipstick at the door, desperately.

"What's wrong?! What is it?" Rose snapped, stomping her feet when the Priestess and the Doctor refused to answer her.

The Doctor finally opened a small hatch in the door and he and the Priestess looked through it.

The Priestess shut her eyes. She turned around, so that her back was pressed up against the door and allowed herself to sink to the floor, her head buried in her knees.

"Doctor, the TARDIS is in there. What's happened?" Rose asked in a hushed voice.

The Doctor simply stared out of the window, with one hand poised over the Priestess' shoulder. "The TARDIS is gone," he said, grimly.

He backed away from the window, horror etched on his face, breathing heavily.

"Door 16 out of commission."

"The earthquake. This section collapsed," the Doctor whispered.

Rose stared at him, bewildered. "But it's gotta be out there somewhere," she argued.

She peered out of the window only to see the rocky landscape of the planet outside.

"Look down," the Doctor suggested, as he made his way over to the Priestess and slumped down beside her.

Rose looked down and her eyes widened.

There was a gaping chasm right beneath them.

"Was the Hosile Action Displacement System enabled?" the Priestess asked the Doctor, briskly, sliding to her feet, her mind a locked door to him.

The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, I switched it off when I was tinkering a couple of days ago."

The Priestess' shoulders slumped and her face betrayed her weariness. "Well, that does not bode well for us," she said, simply.

"Oh, you think?" the Doctor asked, tartly.

"Do _not_ take that tone with me. I did not ask you to disable it," the Priestess shot back, curtly.

The Doctor sighed and buried his face in his hands, strength returning when she began to cart her fingers through his hair. "Sorry, you're right. I shouldn't take it out on you. I… just have no idea what to do next."

"We will find a way," the Priestess said, solemnly but centuries of knowing her made him certain that she was struggling just as much as he was.

* * *

The three were back in the control room, and the Doctor was looking fiercely at Zach.

"The ground gave way. Our TARDIS must've fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you've got robot drills heading the same way," the Doctor said, urgently.

Rose wondered if the Doctor call the TARDIS 'our TARDIS' to mean his and the Priestess' TARDIS, his and Rose's TARDIS or his, Rose's and the Priestess' TARDIS.

Zach shook his head. "We can't divert the drilling," he said, finally, and walked off.

The Doctor stared at him for a moment and then followed. "But we _need_ our ship. It's all we've got. Literally the only thing," he said, fiercely, gesturing to him and the Priestess.

Rose seethed. She supposed that was the answer to her question.

Zach swung around, visibly irritated. "Doctor, _we've_ only got the resources to drill _one_ central shaft down to the power source, and that's it. No diversions, no distractions, _no exceptions_. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that... is the end of it," he finished.

He left and Ida approached the Doctor, who looked completely unhinged by the turn of events, almost leaning on the Priestess for support, who didn't look all that better, her face pale.

"I'll uh… put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry," she said, sympathetically, and then followed Zach from the room.

"Open Door 1."

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look and the last Ood exited, leaving the three wanderers alone in the control room.

"Close Door 1."

The Doctor looked over the Priestess' shoulder and saw Rose standing off by herself, bemused and worried. He touched the Priestess' hand, solemnly, and made his way over to her, settling against the control panel next to her.

"I've trapped you here," the Doctor said, quietly, apologetically.

Rose shook her head, squaring her shoulders in an effort to be brave. "No. Don't worry about me."

Despite her friction with the young human girl, the Priestess did appreciate the sentiment.

The base shook again.

Rose took a deep breath and looked upwards through the window, swallowing hard when her gaze settled on the fearsome sight of the black hole.

"Okay, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a black hole... and no way out." The Doctor looked at her, worriedly, and she caught his eye. Her voice shook. "Yeah, I've changed my mind. Start worrying about me," she laughed, nervously.

The Doctor softened and immediately, he pulled her into a tight hug.

The Priestess ignored the small twinge of jealousy that the action invoked.

Both he and the Priestess stared darkly at the black hole, wondering if this was the point where their luck ran out.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess stared at the ancient text in the canteen area, their brow furrowed.

"Danny, check the temperature of Ood Habitation. It seems to be rising," Zach instructed over the tannoy.

Rose slid to her feet, unable to bear the Doctor and the Priestess' content silence a moment longer, and walked over to the hatch through which the food was being served. Danny stood to do what Zach tells him and Scooti was already by the hatch with her tray.

"Help yourself. Just don't have the green. Or the blue," Scooti laughed, gesturing to the tray.

Rose picked up a tray and went over to the hatch where the Ood were serving.

"Uh, bit of that, thanks," Rose pointed and the Ood spooned some sloppy blue goop onto her tray.

"Would you like sauce with that?" the Ood asked.

"I'll have a go, yeah." Rose shrugged and the Ood shook some sauce onto the tray, making Rose grin. "I did that job once. I was a... a dinner lady! Not that I'm calling you a lady. Although, I dunno, you might be. Do you actually get paid, though? Do they give you money?" she asked, grimly.

"The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God," the Ood said, suddenly, lightly, as if it were discussing the weather.

Rose paused and a pit of fear sank in her stomach. "… I'm sorry?" she asked, slightly high-pitched.

The Ood tapped his communication orb.

"Apologies. I said, 'I hope you enjoy your meal'," the Ood said, innocently.

Rose was completely thrown, her mind unable to process what happened. "Yeah," she said, lamely and picked up her tray and walked off.

* * *

 **A/N** : So, we have the beginnings of the whole Beast drama. And I think this'll be significant when it comes to the Priestess and her visions, because as you can see, she's already pretty sensitive to what's going on in the planet. It'll be interesting to see how she reacts to what happens with the Ood and the so-called Devil and what he'll be saying about her.

Another thing I wanted to show in this chapter is that the Doctor and the Priestess have this irritating habit of fighting and then just letting all the tension fade away because of some dramatic event that might result in one of them dying. So, they don't actually _talk_ about any of their problems. So, hopefully, you can see in this chapter, that while the Priestess isn't as obvious about it as she was in _The Idiot's Lantern_ , she is still hurt and angry, and the Doctor can still sense that, so he's also hurt and angry and confused. But they both, even after nine-hundred years (because it's become like a thing of theirs not to talk about their problems), suck at communication.

Anyway, my commentary on healthy marriages aside, hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it and I'll see you next chapter!

 **Reviews** :

 _the stargate time traveller_ : Honestly, I don't think she was in a place to say much, and the Doctor wasn't in a place to hear her.

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : Thank you!

 _Guest_ : Yeah, it definitely brought back some terrible memories from him. Yeah, I felt like it was a consolation prize. And unfair, considering how many companions have fallen for the Doctor yet only _Rose_ gets hers.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!


	19. The Impossible Planet: The Black Hole

**A/N** : This is the second part of _The Impossible Planet_.

 **Warnings** : Angst. Fluff.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 19**

 **The Impossible Planet: The Black Hole**

" _The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God," the Ood said, suddenly, lightly, as if it were discussing the weather._

 _Rose paused and a pit of fear sank in her stomach. "… I'm sorry?" she asked, slightly high-pitched._

 _The Ood tapped his communication orb._

" _Apologies. I said, 'I hope you enjoy your meal'," the Ood said, innocently._

 _Rose was completely thrown, her mind unable to process what happened. "Yeah," she said, lamely and picked up her tray and walked off._

The lights started to flicker for some unexplainable reason in the canteen area. Ida frowned and spoke into the communication device on her wrist.

"Zach, have we got a problem?" she asked, worriedly.

"No more than usual. Got the Scarlet System burning up, it might be worth a look."

Ida pursed her lips and looked at the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose, who sat at one of the tables together.

"You might wanna see this," she offered. "Moment in history."

She pulled a lever which opened the overhead shutters, revealing the black hole overhead and flooding the room with soft red light.

"There. On the edge." Ida gestured to a stream of red light spiralling into the black hole. "That red cloud... that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi... a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years... disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed."

She gazed up at it, fascinated, as were the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose, as the last of the Scarlet System disappeared into the black hole.

"Ladies and gentlemen... we have witnessed its passing," Ida sighed.

She went to pull the lever to close the shutters again, but the Doctor halted her before she could.

"Er, no, could you leave it open?" the Doctor asked.

Rose looked at him, curiously.

"Just for a bit. I won't go mad, I promise," the Doctor joked.

Ida smiled. "How would you know?"

The Priestess couldn't help but smile at that. "Unfortunately, the time for worrying about his imminent insanity has long since passed," she said, teasingly. "Seeing as it already occurred many a century ago."

The Doctor held a hand to his heart. "Ouch, 'Tess, that really hurts," he said, pouting.

The Priestess hummed. "Yes, I had that intention."

Ida smiled at their banter and turned to Scooti. "Scooti, check the lockdown."

Scooti nodded and left.

"Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me."

Jefferson and Ida left the canteen, leaving the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose alone.

"Open Door 18."

"I've seen films and things, yeah… they say black holes are like gateways to another universe." Rose stared up into the dreary red space.

"Close Door 18."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not that one. It just eats," he murmured.

"Long way from home..." Rose trailed off.

The Doctor glanced at her, pursing his lips. He shifted forwards and pointed in a deliberate direction. "Go that way, turn right, keep going for um... about five hundred years... then you'll reach the Earth," he explained, lowly.

Rose took her phone out of her pocket and pressed a few buttons. "No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could... what would I tell her...?" she mused. "Can you build another TARDIS?" she laughed, half-heartedly.

The Priestess ran a hand over her throat. "They were _grown_ , not built," she said, tersely.

The Doctor looked at her, briefly. "And with my- _our_ planet gone... we're kind of stuck."

Rose placed a hand on the Doctor's consolingly. "Well, it could be worse. This lot said they'd give us a lift," she said, lightly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "And then what?"

Rose shrugged. "I dunno... find a planet... get a job... live a life, same as the rest of the universe."

The Doctor grimaced, then scoffed. "I'd have to settle down. In a house or something, a proper house with... with... with... with _doors_ and things." His face twisted. "Carpets! _Me_! Living in a house!" he said, incredulously, making Rose laugh. "Now that... that is terrifying."

"You'd have to get a mortgage," Rose sang, teasingly.

The Doctor stared blankly for a moment, horrified. "…No."

"Oh, yes." Rose's eyes glinted, smugly.

"I am dying," the Doctor said, definitively. "That's it. I am dying, it is all over."

"What about me? I'd have to get one too," Rose said, pointedly. She paused, looking at the Doctor through her eyelashes. "I dunno, could... could be the same one, we could both..." she trailed off, when the Doctor caught her eye. "I dunno... share. Or not, you know. Whatever."

The Doctor tensed, not having the courage to turn to the side and look at the Priestess, fearing what he would find in her eyes. He was lost for words, not wanting to agree with Rose, but not wanting to encourage her either. He resorted to simply nodding, knowing that his awkwardness must be showing on his face.

"I dunno, we'll sort something out-" Rose said, quickly, seeing the 'deer caught in headlights' look on the Doctor's face.

"Anyway," the Doctor hedged, looking away.

Rose decided to laugh it off. "We'll see!"

She eyed the Priestess out of the corner of her eye, seeing her impassive and solid, not betraying a single sliver of emotion. There was no reaction to Rose's offer, so she didn't know whether to be smug or worried. If it came down to a choice between the Priestess and Rose, in a world where they couldn't just jump into their time-travelling space ship and fly away, would the Doctor really pick Rose, when the Priestess would always be the only other of his race?

The Doctor's gaze shifted to the Priestess as well.

 _You're not talking, 'Tess. Is everything okay?_ he asked, worriedly.

The Priestess felt humour at that. _Would you prefer me to comment on your impending cohabitation with your travelling companion?_ she asked, dryly.

' _Tess_ , the Doctor sighed. _It's not like that._

 _I believe it is exactly like that,_ the Priestess hummed. _Worry not, my love, I shall be no obstacle._

The Doctor frowned, unable to mask the panic her words invoked. _What's that supposed to mean?_

But the bond was shut to him now.

It rose in him a sort of dread that had his hearts clenching.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I promised Jackie I'd always take you back home."

"Everyone leaves home in the end," Rose said, pointedly.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not to end up stuck here."

"Yeah, but stuck with you, that's not so bad," Rose said, sweetly.

The Doctor looked at her, unfathomably. "Yeah?" he said, dubiously.

"Yes," Rose said, sincerely, making the Doctor smile.

The moment was broken by Rose's phone ringing, which she answered.

"He is awake."

Terrified, Rose flung the phone to the floor.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose bounded down the stairs to find Danny in Ood Habitation.

"Evening!" the Doctor called out, cheerfully.

"Only us!" Rose added.

Danny, who was working at a computer, turned around with a smile. "The mysterious threesome. How are you, then? Settling in?"

"Yeah, sorry, straight to business, the Ood, how do they communicate? I mean, with each other," the Doctor asked, curiously.

The Ood sat in an area in the level below them, in what looked to be an animal pen.

Danny shrugged. "Oh, just empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does _them_ much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle," he said, indifferently.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "This telepathic field, is it able to detect messages?" she asked, pointedly.

"'Cause I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something... well, odd."

"Oh. An odd Ood," Danny joked.

"And then I got something else on my er..." Rose glanced at the Doctor, unsure of what word to use. "Communicator thing."

"Oh, be fair. We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing," Danny said, reassuringly.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose stared at him, far from convinced.

Danny sighed. "Look... if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

The Doctor nodded at the computer. "Monitor the field, that's this thing?"

The screen read 'Basic 5'.

Danny nodded. "Yeah. But like I said, it's low level telepathy. They only register Basic 5."

While he talked, the reading rose to Basic 6.

"Well, that's not Basic 5," the Doctor said, pointedly.

It kept rising.

"10..."

The Priestess turned around to see the Ood suddenly raise their heads in unison as the reading ascended.

"20..." the Doctor turned to Danny, his eyes narrowed. "They've gone up to Basic 30."

Danny shook his head in disbelief. "But they can't..." he trailed off in uncertainty.

"Doctor, I believe you should see this," the Priestess said, lowly.

The Ood turned as one and looked up at the four of them standing on the balcony.

"What does Basic 30 mean?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads," Danny said, baffled.

"Or something's shouting at them..." the Doctor said, quietly, exchanging a concerned look with the Priestess.

Danny began tapping something on the keyboard. But... where's it coming from? What is it saying? I mean-" He looked at Rose. "What did it say to you?"

Rose shrugged. "Something about the beast in the pit."

Danny blinked in confusion. "What about your communicator? What did that say?"

Rose looked thoughtful and paused. "He is awake."

"And you will worship him," the Ood intoned as one.

All four swung around in alarm.

"What the hell?" Danny breathed.

The Doctor approached the railing. "He is awake," he repeated, addressing the Ood.

"And you will worship him."

"Worship whom?" The Priestess asked, sternly. "Who is speaking to you? Who is it?"

Suddenly, the entire base began to shake. They were thrown violently around and they struggled to regain their balance.

"Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach."

Danny was visibly trembling with fear. "Which section?" he spoke into his wrist communication device.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose burst back into the canteen area, followed by Danny.

"Close Door 19."

In the corridor, they joined Jefferson, Ida and the other crew members.

"Come on! Keep moving!" Jefferson yelled, trying to open one of the doors. He pulled Toby through the door once the others had entered. "And you too, Toby!"

Toby fell flat on his face through the door as Jefferson slammed it shut.

"Breach sealed. Breach sealed."

The Doctor dashed over to them, followed by the Priestess. "Everyone all right?! What happened? What was it?" he asked, worriedly.

"Oxygen levels normal."

Jefferson braced his hands on his knees, panting. "Hull breach! We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters," he said, grimly.

Rose crouched to help Toby, who was still sweating and panting on the floor.

"That was no quake. What caused it?" the Priestess asked, sharply.

" _We've lost sections 11 to 13. Everyone all right?_ " Zach asked from the control room.

Jefferson raised his wrist. "We've got everyone here except Scooti. Scooti, report," he ordered.

There was nothing but static and a beep on the communication device.

"Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report."

Again, he was only able to reach a blank beep and the static.

" _She's all right_ ," Zach said, reassuringly, making Jefferson and Ida breathe a sigh of relief.

" _I picked up her bio chip, she's in Habitation 3._ _Better go and check if she's not responding, she might be unconscious._ " Zach paused. " _How about that, eh? We survived._ "

Jefferson sighed. "Habitation 3... come on, I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on."

Everyone but Toby, the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose followed Jefferson down the corridor. The Doctor crouched down beside Toby, who looked severely shaken.

"What happened?" he asked, worriedly.

"I don't- I dunno, I-I was working and then I can't remember," Toby said, quickly, his face flustered. "All-all that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air-"

Rose hauled Toby to his feet. "Come on. Up you get. Come and have some Protein One."

She walked him along the corridor, her arm linked through his.

"Oh, you've gone native," the Doctor teased.

"Oi, don't knock it." Rose grinned at him, her tongue sticking out between her teeth. "It's nice. Protein One with just a-" she clicked her fingers, deliberately. "-dash of Three."

* * *

When they reached the canteen, the atmosphere was slightly chaotic, as they were all searching for Scooti, all talking over each other, but couldn't seem to find her anywhere.

"I've checked Habitation 4..." Ida sighed.

Jefferson shook his head. "There's no sign of her. The bio chip says she's in the area." He looked at the four new entrants to the canteen, hopefully. "Have you seen Scooti?"

Toby frowned. "No, no, no, I don't think so."

Ida raised her wrist. "Scooti, please respond, if you can hear this please respo- Habitation 6," she said, suddenly.

"Nowhere here," Jefferson said, pointedly. "Zach?" He spoke into his communicator. "We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing."

" _It says Habitation 3,_ " Zach argued.

"Yeah, well that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's _not here_."

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look and their eyes rolled upwards, through the overhead window.

"I believe we have found her," the Priestess said, solemnly.

They all looked upwards, following his gaze. Rose's hand covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh, my God..." she breathed.

Scooti's body was floating eerily just outside the window.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor said, quietly.

The rest of them just stared, horrified.

"Captain... report Officer Scootori Manista PKD... deceased. 43K2.1," Jefferson said, lowly, into his communication device.

Ida swallowed hard. "She was twenty... twenty years old," she whispered, going over to the controls.

The Doctor stared up at Scooti's body, grave and silent, while Ida pulled the lever to close the shutters.

"For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father... and the temples of his Gods." Jefferson's voice had dropped to a whisper.

Once the shutters have closed completely, the room was noticeably darker and gloomier than before, a strange silence fallen between its inhabitants.

"It's stopped..." Ida said, suddenly.

There was a distant crash.

"What was that? What was it?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"The drill," the Doctor replied.

"We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero," Ida said, grimly.

* * *

The crew stood in the observation deck, preparing to go down into the mineshaft.

"Capsule established. All systems functioning... the mineshaft is go... bring systems online now."

The Doctor, garbed in a bright orange spacesuit, approached a weary Zach, who stared at him.

"Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force," the Doctor said, cheerfully.

Zach sighed. "Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol. We don't even know who you are."

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you?" the Doctor said, knowingly. "And you can't let Ida go down there on her own." He paused, deliberately. "Go on... look me in the eye... yes, you do, I can see it. Trust," he said, smugly.

Zach shook his head. "I should be going down."

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here. In charge," the Doctor urged.

"Not much good at it, am I?" Zach lamented, bitterly.

The Doctor didn't answer, knowing that it would take much more than his words to make Zach believe him.

Zach sighed before addressing everyone. "Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions!"

Rose caught the Doctor's eye and they walked over to each other.

"Mr Jefferson! I want maximum systems..." Zach's voice faded as he walked away.

Rose and the Doctor stood facing one another. The Doctor checked a device on the wrist of the spacesuit, his eyes drifting momentarily to the Priestess, who was standing on her lonesome at the railing, staring off into nothing.

"Oxygen... nitro-balance... gravity. It's ages since I wore one of these!" the Doctor said, cheerfully.

"I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" Rose said, fervently.

The Doctor grinned. "Yes, sir," he joked, putting on the helmet of the spacesuit.

"It's funny," Rose swallowed. "'Cause people back home think that space travel's gonna be all whizzing about and teleports and anti-gravity... but it's not, is it?" she said, grimly, her voice breaking slightly. "It's tough."

The Doctor's mouth flickered a knowing smile. "I'll see you later," he said, with confidence.

"Not if I see you first," Rose laughed softly, and pulled his head down so that she could place a kiss on the crown of his helmet.

The Doctor gave her one last smile, batting away the uneasy feeling in his stomach at Rose's show of affection once he walked away, and made his way over to the Priestess.

"I disagree with this."

"I know," the Doctor said, gently.

"And yet you persist in-" her voice broke off, roughly. "This planet is… _wrong_ ," she hissed. "I feel it and I know you feel it as well."

"Yes, but if we don't go down, we'll never know what's going on here, 'Tess," he said, pointedly.

She exhaled and her fingers curled around the railing, her knuckles white. She reached out and took his hand in hers, clutching at it desperately. "You will not leave me alone in this universe, do you understand me?" she said, fiercely.

"Never," he swore.

"You will _not_ ," she gritted her teeth. "If you do," _Omega, save her._ "I will be _cross_." She would not cry. "As you have never seen me before."

The Doctor grinned and brushed a lock of her dark hair out of her face. "Now wouldn't that be a sight. I hate it when you're cross."

"Good."

He threaded a whole hand in her dark waves and pulled her close, to his chest, and kissed her on the temple fiercely, her mind awash in nothing but deep crimson and _I love you_ until there was nothing she knew to be truer than that.

Rose watched on in jealousy. In her goodbye with the Doctor, she had been the one to initiate affection, and only a kiss on his helmet for all her troubles. But the Doctor had reached out and kissed the Priestess, be it on her temple or not, and had hardly needed any encouragement from the stoic Time Lady to do so. Hell, the woman hadn't even looked at him while she was saying goodbye; she hadn't shown him an ounce of affection or even emotion and he still felt the need to kiss her like she was some weeping widow-to-be or something. Where was the justice in that?

" _Capsule active. Counting down in 10... 9..._ " Zach's voice from the control room boomed out over the tannoy. " _8... 7... 6..._ "

The Doctor and Ida went into the capsule and Jefferson closed the door after them.

" _5... 4... 3... 2..._ "

Jefferson saluted them.

" _1..._ "

Rose waved, smiling and the Doctor waved back, returning the smile.

" _Release._ "

The capsule descended the shaft. The Priestess broke away from the sight to find Toby sitting hunched in a corner, twitchy and paranoid, checking his hands at an alarming frequency.

" _Gone beyond the oxygen field. You're on your own._ "

* * *

The Doctor and Ida both switched on their oxygen tanks.

* * *

"Don't forget to breath. Breathing's good." Rose said, her voice high-pitched from panic, and she demonstrated taking deep breaths as if they had forgotten how to do so.

" _Rose, stay off the comm,_ " Zach ordered, sternly, from the control room.

Rose snorted. "Fat chance."

* * *

The capsule shook rather too violently, and the Doctor and Ida were thrown off their feet, forced to hang onto the sides of the capsule to steady themselves.

* * *

The whole base shook just then and when the Priestess was able to steady herself, she jutted Rose to the side, despite the blonde's vehement protests, and snatched the communication device for herself.

"Doctor?" she called out, cautiously. _Theta?_ There was no reply on either end. "Doctor?" she called out once more, her voice terser.

" _Ida, report to me..._ "

There was more silence.

" _Doctor_?"

 _We're safe, Nikki, we're coming out of the capsule now_.

The Priestess breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's all right... we've made it... coming out of the capsule now." The Doctor's message came over the comm.

* * *

The Doctor and Ida stepped slowly out into the darkness, flashing their torches around.

* * *

"What can you see?" the Priestess asked, curiously.

* * *

The Doctor frowned. "It's hard to tell... some sort of... cave... cavern... it's massive." He squinted into the darkness.

"Well, this should help. Gravity globe."

She tossed a white orb into the air, which flooded the entire cavern with light, revealing a huge face etched into the ancient rock.

"That's... that's... my God, that's beautiful," Ida breathed with awe.

"'Tess," the Doctor looked around. "You can tell Toby... we've found his civilisation..."

* * *

The Priestess turned to look at Toby, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"It seems as though you were correct, Toby."

However, Toby, still distracted and twitchy, didn't seem to be as interested in this information as he should have been.

"Good, good. Good," he muttered.

" _Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission. Ida... what about the power source?_ " Zach asked, curiously.

* * *

The Doctor and Ida traipsed alongside a rocky wall, Ida holding the flashlight in front of them.

"We're close. Energy signature indicates north, north west. Are you getting pictures up there?"

" _There's too much interference. We're in your hands._ "

"Well... we've come this far. There's no turning back," Ida reasoned.

The Doctor groaned and turned to glower at her. "Oh, did you have to? No turning back? That's almost as bad as 'nothing can possible go wrong' or 'this is is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had'-"

Ida turned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you finished?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment. "Yeah! Finished." He shrugged, walking off, while Ida watched him, slightly amused.

* * *

" _Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood._ " Danny said, suddenly.

This rose the Priestess' hackles.

" _What are they doing?_ " Zach asked, worriedly.

Danny's voice was low over the communication device. " _They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't._ "

Zach snorted. " _Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being stared at._ "

" _But the telepathic field, sir. It's at Basic 100! I've checked, there isn't any fault. It's definitely 100,_ " Danny said, urgently.

" _But that's impossible,_ " Zach said, slowly.

Rose looked at Jefferson. "What's Basic 100 mean?" she asked, in a hushed voice.

" _They should be dead_ ," Danny muttered.

"Basic 100's brain death," Jefferson explained.

" _But they're safe? They're not actually moving?_ " Zach clarified.

" _No, sir_ ," Danny answered.

" _Keep watching them_ ," Zach ordered." _And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood._ "

Jefferson nodded. He turned to the crew. "Officer at arms!" he readied his gun.

"Yes, sir," the crew replied.

"You can't fire a gun in here. What if they hit a wall?" Rose asked, worriedly.

Jefferson shook his head. "I'm firing stock 15, only packs upon organics." He turned to one of the security guards. "Keep watch. Guard them."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The Doctor frowned, reaching out for the Priestess' mind, which was shut off to him, much to his displeasure.

"Is everything all right up there?" he called out, worriedly.

* * *

"Yes," the Priestess said, definitively.

" _It's fine_ ," Zach said, quickly.

" _Great!_ " Danny sighed.

* * *

The Doctor and Ida approached an enormous circular trapdoor with markings carved onto the surface.

"We've found something," the Doctor murmured. "It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be 'trapdoor'. Not a good word, 'trapdoor'. Never met a trapdoor I liked." He commented.

Ida shone the torch around the edge. "The edge is covered with those symbols."

" _Do you think it opens?_ " Zach asked, curiously.

"That's what trapdoors tend to do," the Doctor said, dryly.

Ida circled the hatchway. "'Trapdoor' doesn't do it justice. It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter," she gushed.

" _Any way of opening it?_ "

"I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism." Ida looked around.

"I suppose that's the writing, that'll tell us what to do. The letters that defy translation," the Doctor muttered in dismay.

" _Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?_ " Zach asked, curiously.

* * *

The Priestess looked over at Toby. "Toby, they wish to know if you in a position to translate the script to any extent?"

Toby had his head in his arms, still crouched in the corner. "I know what it says," he said, quietly.

The Priestess took a step closer, her stomach twisting in dread. "And?" she prompted.

Jefferson frowned. "When did you work that out?"

Rose shook her head. "It doesn't matter, just tell them," she stressed.

Toby stood, turning towards them, revealing a face marked in the black lettering, eyes blazing red.

"These are the words of the Beast." His voice other-worldly low.

All stared at him in shock.

"And he has woken."

Jefferson aimed his gun at Toby.

"He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise."

"Officer, stand down," Jefferson snapped. " _Stand down_."

" _What is it?_ " the Doctor asked, fiercely. " _What's he done? What's happening? 'Tess? What's going on?_ "

But there was no reply.

 _Nikki?_

And her mind remained empty.

 _Damnit, Nikki, let me see!_

" _Jefferson?_ " Zach called out, worriedly.

But there was nothing but static over the communicator.

" _Report. Report!_ "

Toby flexed his arms, staring at them malevolently.

"Officer, as commander of security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!" Jefferson growled.

The Priestess unstitched the seams that held her mind separate from the Doctor and allowed him to see what she was seeing – Toby, with his red eyes and skin-crawling tattoos –, almost rocking back on her feet when the force of his panic hit her in one rush.

"The symbols are etched into his skin," the Priestess explained, calmly. "They are covering his entire body as far as I am able to see."

The smile faded from Toby's face as he considered them. "Mr Jefferson, tell me, sir... did your wife ever forgive you?" he asked, curiously.

Jefferson's face went pale with shock. "I don't know what you mean."

Toby leaned forward, his eyes glinting. "Let me tell you a secret: she never did."

Jefferson swallowed. "Officer... you stand down and be confined."

Toby raised a confident eyebrow. "Or what?"

"Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorised to shoot you," Jefferson said, coldly, aiming his gun at Toby.

Toby smiled. "But how many can you kill?"

His eyes burned and his mouth opened in a low roar, the symbols fading from his skin and leaving him as swirls of black smoke, which then entered the Ood, who jerked uncontrollably as they were taken over. Toby, himself again, coughed and collapsed, and Jefferson then aimed his gun at the three Ood on the exploration deck.

* * *

The Doctor cursed the fact that he was stuck down in the cavern when the Priestess was alone with whatever creature was stalking the others back on the sanctuary base.

He turned to Ida, his eyes fierce and worried. "I'm going back up," he said, before walking off.

* * *

" _Report. Report! Jefferson, report!_ " Zach shouted. "Someone, report!"

The Ood held their communication orbs out in front of them.

"The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few..."

The Priestess lifted the communication device. "The Ood," she said, simply.

"Sir, we have a contamination in the livestock," Jefferson spoke into his own wrist device.

"Doctor," The Priestess began, nothing betraying the incredulity and distress curling around her bones. "I believe the Ood are possessed."

"They won't listen to us," Jefferson said, urgently.

"He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan... Or Lucifer..."

" _Captain, it's the Ood. They're out of control!_ " Danny shouted.

"Or the Bringer of Despair... The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free."

The Priestess, Jefferson, Rose and another crew member backed away as the Ood advanced upon them.

"Back up to the door!" Jefferson ordered the others.

"I shall become manifest."

"Move quickly!"

"I shall walk in might."

"To the door!" Jefferson urged.

They backed up against the door, where the Priestess flashed her sonic lipstick at the controls, frantically trying to get it open.

"My Legions shall swarm across the worlds..."

* * *

Ida pointed her flashlight in the direction of the trapdoor as the ground started to shake. And much to her bemusement, the trapdoor began to give way underneath them and open.

"Doctor! It's opening!" she called out, excitedly.

Rocks showered down on the Doctor and Ida. The Doctor pursed his lips, his eyes drifting between the capsule and Ida, torn, and finally he stumbled towards Ida, knowing that the Priestess would never forgive him if he chose to abandon the woman if only to save her. He fell over as the ground shook, while Ida whimpered, terrified.

He looked up; the trapdoor was open.

* * *

"I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come."

" _The gravity field... it's going! We're losing orbit!_ " Zach shouted. " _We're gonna fall into the black hole!_ "

The Priestess gritted her teeth when the door lock refused to budge, despite the sonic device in her hand. Jefferson had his gun aimed at the advancing Ood, but they ignored it completely.

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."

"Oh, enough," the Priestess muttered in irritation and her look was fierce when she bared the sonic lipstick once more at the controls, augmenting its strength as much as she could without destroying the interface completely (because they would need to keep the Ood out as well).

And finally, the door swung open.

"The Pit is open. And I am free."

* * *

The Doctor and Ida stared down into the pit, horror-struck as they heard the most sickening, terrible laugh echo right through them.

* * *

 **A/N** : Things are definitely picking up here. I can promise you the next two chapters with _The Satan Pit_ are definitely going to be interesting, considering the plot of the episode and the Beast, because I'm sure he'll have some pretty curious things he says to the Priestess.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and see you next time!

 **Reviews** :

 _Bladewolf101_ : Yeah, I think she had a delusional view of what the Doctor was? And I think he enabled it. I don't think she quite understood the magnitude of what he was going through, and she just came off silly.

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : They are very bad at communicating.

 _Guest_ : Thank you so much!

 _the stargate time traveller_ : Thank you so much! He's not quite good at keeping his mouth shut and he doesn't quite understand what she's feeling? This is all coming out of the blue for him, so he's so lost. In season 3, the Priestess is very welcoming and kind to Martha, but then again, Martha would be very much aware of her and the Doctor's relationship right from the get-go and the Priestess is in a darker place which requires a friend.

 _geogirl2014_ : It's such a common thing, how hard it is to communicate with people. The Game Station is over but the Bad Wolf is very central to the whole Journey's End thing, which is what the Priestess has an inkling of already? And I do think Doomsday would have been very different, at least the whole part of how unwilling Rose was to stay in the parallel world and stay with the Doctor. Thank you!


	20. The Satan Pit: The Devil's Rejects

**A/N** : I'd say something really existential or significant, but I'd rather you guys just read the chapter, honestly.

 **Warnings** : Angst. Fluff.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 20**

 **The Satan Pit: The Devil's Rejects**

" _I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come."_

" _The gravity field... it's going! We're losing orbit!" Zach shouted. "We're gonna fall into the black hole!"_

 _The Priestess gritted her teeth when the door lock refused to budge, despite the sonic device in her hand. Jefferson had his gun aimed at the advancing Ood, but they ignored it completely._

" _I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."_

" _Oh, enough," the Priestess muttered in irritation and her look was fierce when she bared the sonic lipstick once more at the controls, augmenting its strength as much as she could without destroying the interface completely (because they would need to keep the Ood out as well)._

 _And finally, the door swung open._

" _The Pit is open. And I am free."_

 _The Doctor and Ida stared down into the pit, horror-struck as they heard the most sickening, terrible laugh echo right through them._

* * *

The Ood advanced upon the Priestess, Jefferson, Rose and the other crew member.

"Open fire!" Jefferson ordered, and he and the other guard fired at the Ood, while the others crouched behind them.

" _We're stabilising..._ " Zach paused. " _We've got orbit._ "

The Priestess calmly stepped over the corpses of the Ood and snatched up the communication device once more, shoulders tense with the impatience to see whether the Doctor was alright.

"Doctor?" the Priestess called out, cautiously.

There was nothing but static on the other end.

 _Theta_?

No answer.

"Doctor, are you able to hear me? Doctor? Ida? Are you there?"

" _Open Door 25._ "

Jefferson and the other guard spun round, guns raised and ready for whatever would come through the door, but the doors only revealed Danny.

"It's me!" Danny said, quickly, eyeing the guns anxiously. "But they're coming."

" _Close Door 25_."

"It's the Ood. They've gone mad," Danny said, alarmed.

"How many of them?" Jefferson asked, tersely.

"All of them! All fifty!"

Jefferson approached the door, but Danny didn't move. "Danny, out of the way." He ordered, but Danny stood his ground. "Out of the way!"

He pushed Danny out of the door of the door.

"But they're armed! They're dangerous!" Danny protested, as Jefferson started to open the door. "It's the interface device. I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon," he explained, worriedly, running a hand through his hair.

" _Open Door 25._ "

Jefferson opened the door, only to find that the Ood were standing on the other side. One of them immediately advanced, slamming its communication orb against the guard's forehead, who screamed and slumped to the floor, her eyes wide open in death. Jefferson immediately started shooting.

" _Jefferson, what's happening, there?_ " Zach asked, tersely.

" _I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?_ "

" _All I've got is a bolt gun. With uh..._ " There was a pause. " _All of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is._ "

"Given the emergency..." Jefferson trailed off. "I recommend Strategy Nine."

" _Strategy Nine agreed,_ " Zach said, defeated. " _Right, we need to get everyone together. Priestess? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?_ "

The Priestess pinched the bridge of her nose – an alarmingly emotional reaction from someone so usually stoic, but all it did was convey her fear.

"There is no reply," she replied, sternly. "I cannot reach them, no matter how-"

The communication suddenly crackled and the Doctor's voice came through.

" _No! Sorry, I'm fine. Still here!_ "

The Priestess hitched in a furious breath.

"You absolute-"

The others didn't understand the rest of the sentence, as the Priestess finished her admonishment in Gallifreyan, which was summarily drowned out by the screech of the communication device.

However, it seemed that the Doctor had, in fact, heard it, because he winced at the vulgarity.

" _Language_ ," the Doctor teased.

 _Theta Sigma, I swear, when you return-_

 _Nikki, I'm fine, really. We just got distracted because the seal opened up._

" _Anyway, it's both of us, me and Ida. Hello! But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm_."

"How deep is it?"

" _Can't tell. It looks like it goes on forever._ "

"The pit is open," the Priestess said, grimly. "That is what the voice told us."

" _But there's nothing? I mean..._ " Zach hesitated. "There's... _nothing_ coming out?"

" _No, no. No sign of 'the Beast',_ " the Doctor said, reassuringly.

"It said 'Satan'," Rose murmured, wringing her hands together.

" _Come on, Rose. Keep it together,_ " the Doctor said, sternly.

"Is there no such thing?" Rose asked, but there was no reply. "Doctor? Doctor, tell me there's no such thing."

" _Ida? I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately,_ " Zach instructed.

" _But... we've come all this way!_ " Ida protested.

" _Okay, that was an order. Withdraw. With that thing open, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now,_ " Zach said, fiercely.

" _But it's not much better up there with the Ood,_ " Ida argued.

" _I'm initiating Strategy Nine, so I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar-_ "

But Ida had already switched off her communication device, making the Doctor raise his eyebrows.

" _Ida? IDA?_ "

* * *

Ida turned to the Doctor with a smile. "What do you think?"

"I think they've given an order," the Doctor said, pointedly. His voice lowered. "And I think the Priestess may kill me."

Ida rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, I actually think she may kill me dead," the Doctor said, adamantly.

"But what do _you_ think?"

The Doctor put one foot on the edge of the pit, staring down into it thoughtfully.

"It said 'I am the temptation'," the Doctor commented.

"If... if there's something in there... why's it still hiding?" Ida asked, worriedly.

"Maybe... we opened the prison but not the cell," the Doctor suggested.

"We should go down. I'd go. What about you?"

"Oh!" the Doctor's eyes lit up. "Oh, in a second, but then again..." He half-laughed and turned to her, something akin to wonder in his eyes. "That is so human. Where angels fear to tread. Even now, standing on the edge. It's that feeling you get. Yeah?" He looked into the pit, thoroughly mesmerised as he mused. "Right at the back of your head. That impulse... that strange little impulse... that mad little voice saying 'go on... go on... go on... go over, go on...', maybe it's relying on that. For once in my life... Officer Scott... I'm going to say..." He looked at her, solemnly, and pulled his foot back from where it was rested on the edge of the pit. They exchanged a long look. "Retreat." He sighed. "Now I know I'm getting old." He activated his communication device. "'Tess, we're coming back."

* * *

The Priestess sighed a sigh of relief. "I believe that is the most intelligent you have appeared all day," she muttered.

Jefferson released the safety catch on his gun, looking down at Toby with barely-concealed rage.

"What're you doing?" Rose asked, worriedly.

Jefferson pointed the barrel of the gun right between Toby's eyes. "He's infected. He brought that thing on board. You saw it," he said, tersely.

Toby's eyes widened in shock and he cowered on the floor, cornered with no way of escape.

Rose approached Jefferson with swagger in her step. "Are you gonna start shooting your own people, now? Is that what you're gonna do? Is it?" she demanded.

"If necessary," Jefferson said, simply.

"Well then, you'll have to shoot me 'if necessary', so what's it gonna be?" Rose asked, provocatively.

Jefferson paused. Apparently, the thought of him Rose heroically placing herself in front of the bullet was enough to stay his gun.

"While I understand your trepidation and yes, there is logic in your reasoning, as whatever contamination that has now made the Ood hostile began with him, I cannot allow you to execute him unless he becomes a further threat," the Priestess said, sharply.

"Priestess!" Rose scolded, harshly.

"What?" the Priestess demanded. "Jefferson is correct. Whatever this creature is, whatever it intends to accomplish here, it all began with him. Perhaps he is innocent now, but not long ago, he was our enemy and there is still a likely possibility that he will become our enemy again in the future."

Rose knelt beside Toby. "Look at his face. Whatever it was, it's gone. It passed into the Ood. You saw it happen. He's clean," she insisted.

"We do not know enough about this creature or this phenomenon to know that for certain," the Priestess said, sternly. "I will not take that risk where there are civilians on board this base." She turned to Jefferson. "If he is… _possessed_ …" She grimaced at the choice of words. "If he is possessed once more, you may shoot him." She turned away.

"The Doctor would never let you do that!" Rose snapped, warningly. "He'll stop you."

The Priestess turned around, raising one perfectly-sculpted eyebrow in derision. "Whoever said I followed his orders?" she asked, lowly. "And what makes you believe he is able to stop me?" she laughed, lightly. "You encounter one of my race and you believe he is the entirety of us. You are naïve."

Rose growled under her breath, resisting the urge to smack the arrogant Time Lady one good one across the face. Instead, she knelt beside Toby, her face softening in reassurance.

"Are you all right?" she asked, gently.

Toby trembled, his arms wrapped around his knees, close to tears. "Yeah... I..." He swallowed hard, shaking his head. "Dunno," he said, finally.

"Can you remember anything?"

"Just... it was so angry. It was... fury and rage... death..." He cast terrified glances around the room, as if the creature would appear from one of the walls and take over his mind again, and then he met Rose's kind eyes. "It was him. It was the devil," he said, in a hushed voice.

Rose clucked her tongue, sympathetically. "Come here,"

She drew him into a comforting hug, and Toby clung to her, his eyes still wide open with horror over her shoulder.

* * *

The Doctor and Ida trudged back to the capsule.

 _It may be of interest to you that Rose and I had an altercation, moments ago._ The Priestess' voice was light in his mind, but it was almost as if she were standing beside him.

 _Oh, no,_ the Doctor groaned. _What happened_?

 _The boy, the one that was initially captivated, Toby, Jefferson attempted to execute him, Rose intervened._

The Doctor tensed. _And_?

 _I informed Jefferson that if Toby should show tendencies towards further contamination, he should execute him,_ the Priestess said, definitively.

 _Nikki!_ the Doctor admonished.

 _What?_ the Priestess challenged. _You would prefer it if I protected some human who could be the end of us all, without difficulty, all because you and your companion wish to debate morality here?_

Her voice darkened and he could feel her fear and unrest palpable across that unwavering line between their minds.

It made him soften. In no universe did he abide Annika's fear.

 _Nikki, it's not that. Yes, I understand that Toby could be a threat again, but it's still a life that we can't just let go like that._

 _Why?_ the Priestess demanded. _Why is his life above any of the other lives upon this base? One human against seven others, I do not understand your logic. And hardly an innocent human at that. Yes, his original contamination may have been without any fault of his, but he is now a threat, as you said. We cannot be certain how much of him remains Toby in any case!_

The Doctor sighed. _You've got a good point._ He paused. _Look, I don't like it, you know I don't like it, but I'm not up there and I trust your judgment. If it comes down to it, and there's no other way…_ He hesitated, because it did go against everything in him. _I'll back your play._

The Priestess huffed. _You have my gratitude_ , she admitted, grudgingly. _Of course, this does not connote my forgiveness, nor my pardon, for your obstinate decision to remain down in a chasm that could very well rip you from this existence without my presence there with you,_ she warned.

The Doctor chuckled. _Exactly how angry are you right now?_

 _I am considering imprisoning you within the TARDIS for the nearby future_ , the Priestess said, dryly. _Perhaps within the library, in order for you to read the adventures of much more intelligent beings and perhaps even follow their example._

 _Touchy much_ , the Doctor retorted, playfully.

 _Well, we would not be having this conversation if you had simply remained on the base with me,_ the Priestess replied, tartly.

 _Don't pretend like you're not interested to see what's down here,_ the Doctor said, knowingly.

 _I imagine you will be eager to tell me 'I told you so', as the humans say, when you return._

"What's Strategy Nine?" the Doctor asked, curiously.

"Open the airlocks... we'll be safe inside the lockdown... the Ood will get thrown out into the vacuum," Ida explained.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "So we're going back to a slaughter?"

Ida turned to him once they reached the capsule. "The devil's work," she remarked.

* * *

The Priestess, Jefferson, Danny and Rose all waited for the two down on the planet to make contact.

" _Okay, we're in. Bring us up,_ " Ida informed them.

"Ascension in..." Jefferson began.

Rose smiled with anticipation.

"Three... two... one."

Suddenly, the mechanism failed and the lights went out, both on the base and within the capsule.

"This is the Darkness. This is my domain."

The Priestess looked over to the display on the screen, only to find that it had changed to that of several of the Ood standing together, ominously, the creature using them as a voice-box.

"You little things that live in the light... clinging to your feeble Suns..." It drawled. "...which die in the..."

" _That's not the Ood. Something's talking through them,_ " Zach said, nervously.

"Only the Darkness remains."

" _This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctury Base Six representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself,_ " Zach ordered, coldly.

"You know my name."

" _What do you want?_ " Zach demanded.

"You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave."

"It's him. It's him. It's him..." Toby whispered, rocking back and forth on his knees.

" _If you are the Beast,_ " the Doctor scoffed. " _Then answer me this: which one? Hmm? 'Cos the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archivits... Pordonity, Christianity... Pash-Pash, New Judaism... Sanclar... Church of the Tin Vagabond - which devil are you?_ "

"All of them."

"You are the truth behind the myth, then?" the Priestess suggested, without much faith in her words.

She could practically hear the smile in the creature's voice as he spoke.

"These two know me, as I know them. The killers of their own kind."

" _How did you end up on this rock?_ " the Doctor asked, sharply, disregarding the Beast's last comment.

"The disciples of the Light rose up against me. And chained me in the pit for all eternity."

" _When was this?_ " the Doctor demanded.

"Before time."

The Doctor scowled. " _What does that mean?!_ "

"Before time," the Beast repeated.

" _What does 'before time' mean?_ "

"Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created."

"That is impossible," the Priestess said, sharply. "Life could not have existed at the time to which you are referring."

"Is that your religion?" the Beast purred.

"It is my truth," the Priestess said, coldly.

"Your truth is false, Dream Child."

The Priestess and the Doctor tensed.

"You know nothing. All of you. So small." It paused. "The Captain, so scared of command. The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife."

The Priestess watched as Jefferson squared his shoulders, as if to protect himself from the Beast's words.

"The scientist, still running from daddy. The little boy who lied..."

Danny shifted, uncomfortably.

"The virgin..."

Toby trembled, on edge.

"The lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon."

Rose swallowed hard.

"And you, Dream Child, your end is coming."

"You have no hold on me, creature," the Priestess snapped.

"Fierce one, you are. The Lady who endures the all of time and space, everything that is, was, will be, now and forever, here, there, everywhere, and never falters. But time will have its due, Dream Child. And you were already aware of that, were you not?"

Rose's fists clenched. "Doctor, what does it mean?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Rose, don't listen," the Doctor ordered, quietly.

"What does it mean?" Rose repeated her question, firmly.

"You will die... and I will live."

The footage of the Ood suddenly cut and was replaced with a roaring, horned beast, which caused everyone but the Doctor and the Priestess to gasp and stumbled backwards.

"What the hell was that?" Danny stammered.

"I had that thing inside my head." Toby grimaced.

"Doctor, what did it mean?" Rose demanded, her voice becoming high-pitched.

"What do we do? Jefferson?" Danny looked at the older man, desperately.

"Captain? What's the situation on Strategy Nine?" Jefferson asked Zach, tersely.

"Zach, what do we do?"

"What if I can fix it? ... the black hole, everything's true."

"Captain, report."

"We've lost pictures-"

"Doctor, how did it know all of-"

"Did anyone get-"

"Jefferson?"

"Stop-" The Doctor began.

"What did it mean?"

"Everyone just stop-"

"What do we do?"

"Report."

" _Enough_ ," the Priestess called out at the top of her voice, or in her _teacher voice_ , as the Doctor had dubbed it centuries ago.

"Thanks, 'Tess," the Doctor said, lowly. "If you want voices in the dark, then listen to mine; that thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."

"But that's how the devil works," Danny protested.

The Doctor snorted. "Or a good psychologist."

"But... how did it know about my father?" Ida hesitated.

The Doctor paused. "Okay," he admitted, grudgingly. "But what makes his version of the truth any better than mine? Hmm? Cos I'll tell you what I can see: humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space. Flying in a tiny little rocket into the orbit of a black hole! Just for the sake of discovery, that's amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing. All of you. The captain, his officer, his elder, his genius, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him-"

With a loud bang, the cable suspending the capsule snapped in two and it fell down the shaft.

"The cable's snapped!" Ida shouted, staring up at the broken line.

"Get out!" the Doctor urged.

The two dove out of the capsule just as the cable landed inside it with an almighty crash.

"Doctor!" the Priestess called out, sharply. "The cable snapped. Doctor, are you safe?" There was no reply. "Doctor?"

" _Comms are down,_ " Zach said, grimly.

"Doctor?"

 _Theta?_

 _We're fine, Nikki. We got out of the capsule just in time._

" _I've still got life signs, but... we've lost the capsule._ "

"They are safe," the Priestess intoned.

Rose rounded on her, furiously, panic etched on her features. "How do you know?" she asked, worriedly.

"Our senses are attuned to one another," the Priestess said, simply, not wanting to explain the specifics of the bond that tied her and the Doctor together.

" _There's no way out._ " There was a pause. " _They're stuck down there._ "

* * *

The Doctor and Ida stood, brushing the dirt off themselves.

"How much air have we got?" the Doctor asked, curiously.

"Sixty minutes." Ida checked her wrist device. "Fifty-five," she corrected.

"Yep, 'Tess is going to kill me," the Doctor muttered.

* * *

The Priestess, Rose, Jefferson and Danny peered down the lift shaft.

"But we've _got to_ bring them back," Rose insisted.

The Priestess supposed that in this instance, Rose's infatuation with her Bondmate (no matter how galling it was for her) was advantageous.

Jefferson shook his head. "They're ten miles down. We haven't got another ten miles of cable," he said, pointedly. Another loud bang on a door made them jump. "Captain? Situation report."

" _It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in._ "

Jefferson cursed. "Yeah, it's the same on Door 25."

"How long?" the Priestess asked.

"Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes," Jefferson replied. There was another bang. "Eight." He amended.

" _I've got a security frame, it might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you._ "

"I may be able to reinforce the frame, but I cannot promise you a considerable extension in time," the Priestess said, grimly, fiddling with her sonic lipstick. "Our only two options are to fight or flee. Or both, I suppose."

"I'll take both, yeah? But how?" Danny asked, wringing his hands together.

The Priestess sighed. "Firstly, I suggest that we construct some lighting."

Rose looked around. "There's gotta be some sort of power somewhere," she mused.

" _There's nothing I can do. Some captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons,_ " Zach said, bitterly.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. "I do not have time for your self-deprecation, Captain. Perhaps you should be pressing the correct buttons," she offered.

" _They've gutted the generators!_ " Zach protested, but then there was a telling pause. " _But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that... Mr Jefferson?_ _Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety..._ "

Jefferson made his way to the control panel on the wall. "Opening bypass conduits, sir."

" _Channelling rocket feed. In 3... 2... 1... power._ "

The lights came back on and Rose clapped, jumping on her feet.

"There we go," she breathed in enthusiasm.

"Let there be light!" Danny crowed.

Rose turned to Mr Jefferson. "What about that Strategy Nine thing?"

Jefferson shook his head. "Not enough power. It needs a hundred percent."

"We require an escape route," the Priestess advised. "Captain, Mr Jefferson, would you be willing to construct one for us?" she approached Toby, solidly. "Toby,"

Toby jumped to his feet. "I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything."

"No, but I believe you are an archaeologist," the Priestess said, pointedly. "What do you know of the pit?"

"Well, n-n-nothing. We can't even translate the language," Toby stammered.

The Priestess clucked her tongue and turned away.

"H-hold on. Maybe."

"Yes?" the Priestess pushed.

"Since that thing was inside my head, it's like the letters made more sense."

"Then I suggest you begin translating," the Priestess said, slowly. She went over to Danny. "Are we able to stop the Ood at all?"

"Well... I don't know." Danny shrugged.

The Priestess pushed him in the direction of the computer. "Perhaps you should attempt to uncover some means by which we are able to do so," she paused. "Rose, would you aid him?" Rose opened her mouth to protest. "If we are able to re-establish control over the base, we may be able to reach the Doctor," she urged.

Rose nodded and moved over to the computer to join Danny.

* * *

"We've got all this cable; we might as well use it. The drum's disconnected, we could adapt it," Ida offered, gathering up the fallen cable. "Feed it through."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "And then what?"

"Abseil. Into the pit," Ida replied, firmly.

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Abseil. Right."

"We're running out of air with no way back," Ida pointed out. "It's the only thing we _can_ do. Even if it's the last thing we ever achieve."

"I'll get back. Tess is up there," the Doctor said, determinedly.

He would never leave her alone. Not after the last time.

"Well, maybe the key to that is finding out what's in the pit," Ida offered.

"Well... it's half of a good plan," the Doctor drawled.

Ida frowned. "What's the other half?"

The Doctor turned to her, features devoid of any emotion. "I go down. Not you."

* * *

The Priestess was at the control panel beside the door, reinforcing the frame that held back the Ood that was on the other side, her sonic lipstick between her fingers.

"Open junctions five... six... seven..." There was a persistent bang on the door. "... reroute filters sixteen to twenty-four. Go."

"There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board," Danny explained.

Rose scoffed. "Well, that's handy, listing all the things we haven't got. We haven't got a swimming pool either. Or a Tescos," she said, sarcastically.

The computer beeped just then and the word 'affirmative' flashed on the screen.

"Oh my God. It says yes!" Danny said, excitedly. "I can do it! Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare... it can disrupt the telepathy! Brainstorm!"

"What happens to the Ood?" Rose asked, curiously.

"It'll tank them, spark out!"

"There we are, then! Do it!" Rose said, enthusiastically.

Danny's face fell. "No, but..." He shook his head. "I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation."

The Priestess pulled away from the door, just when there was another bang, causing sparks to fly.

"If the data that I extracted from your servers is correct, I believe you have a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath this base. That may be our only passage," the Priestess said, deliberately.

Rose smiled. "Ventilation shafts." She beamed.

Jefferson snorted. "There's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms," he said, pointedly.

There was another bang.

" _But I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discrete pockets of atmosphere... if I control it manually... I can follow you through the network,"_ Zach offered.

"Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us. By hand," Rose clarified, uneasily.

" _You wanted me pressing buttons,_ " Zach pointed out.

Rose grimaced.

"We have no other option but to reach Ood Habitation," the Priestess said, definitively. "I suggest you create a route."

* * *

The Doctor and Ida are securing the cable so that they could abseil down the pit.

"That should hold it. How's it going?" Ida asked, curiously.

The cable unravelled.

"Fine! Should work... doesn't feel like such a good idea, now." The Doctor grimaced as he looked down the pit, standing on the edge. "Ha... there it is again. That itch." He began to jump up and down on the balls of his feet. "Go down, go down, go down, go down, go down," he muttered to himself.

"The urge to jump. Do you know where it comes from, that sensation? Genetic heritage. Ever since we were primates in the trees. It's our body's way of testing us. Calculating whether or not we can reach the next branch," Ida explained, quietly.

"No, that's not it... that's too kind," the Doctor remarked, thoughtfully. "It's not the urge to jump, it's deeper than that. It's the urge to fall!"

And he jumped backwards down the hole.

"Doctor!" Ida cried out in dismay, and pressed a button, causing the cable to become taut.

The Doctor stopped falling, pulled to a standstill by the cable, now hanging a short way into the pit.

"Are you okay?" Ida called out, worriedly.

"Not bad, thanks. The wall of the pit... seems to be the same as the cavern, just..." He shone his torch downwards. "Not much of it. There's a crust about twenty feet down and then... nothing. Just the pit. Okay, then. Lower me down," he instructed.

Ida sighed, her fingers trembling over the button. "Well, here we go, then."

She pressed the button again and the Doctor was lowered slowly down the pit.

* * *

There was another violent bang on Door 25, when the Priestess, Rose, Jefferson and Toby readied themselves to enter the maintenance tunnels, but Danny was still at the computer.

"Danny!" Rose called out to him.

"Hold on! Just conforming..."

"Dan, you gotta go _now_!" Jefferson snapped. There was another bang. "Come on!"

The computer beeped.

"Yeah!"

Danny took what resembled an orange computer chip from the machine and hurried over to the entrance to the maintenance tunnels.

"Put that in the monitor... and it's a bad time to be an Ood!" he crowed.

"We're coming back. Have you got that?" Rose said, sharply. "We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out." She looked at the Priestess as if she were the only one who would hold her end of the bargain.

The Priestess nodded.

"Okay, Danny, you go first, then you, Priestess, then Miss Tyler, then Toby, I'll go last in defence of position. Now come on! Quick as you can!"

They all lowered themselves down into the tunnels in the order that Jefferson had specified.

Rose landed in the tunnel beside the Priestess and Danny and sniffed.

"God, it stinks. You all right?" she grimaced, looking at Danny.

"Yeah, I'm laughing," Danny said, dryly.

Toby landed beside them.

"Which way do we go?" Danny asked Zach through his communication device.

" _Just go straight ahead. Keep going 'til I say so._ "

Jefferson made it down the hole just as the Ood finally broke the door down and advanced.

The five crawled down the tunnel.

"Not your best angle, Danny," Rose remarked, dryly, commenting on Danny's behind.

"Oi! Stop it!" Danny retorted.

"I dunno, it could be worse," Tony murmured, staring at the Priestess in that long top and tights.

"Avert your eyes," the Priestess warned, coldly, and Toby knew it was in his best interests to do so.

" _Straight along until you find junction 7.1. Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you,_ " Zach said, reassuringly.

Finally, they reached a junction in the tunnels and sat down, all of them out of breath but for the Priestess.

"How are you not tired?" Rose demanded.

"My respiratory system is advanced in order to collaborate with my binary vascular system," the Priestess explained.

Rose couldn't help but smile at the Priestess' guileless explanation. She patted the other woman on the arm.

"It was a rhetorical question, Priestess," she whispered.

"Oh." The Priestess' eyes dawned with realisation.

"We're at 7.1, sir," Danny told Zach.

" _Okay, I've got you..._ _I'm just aerating the next section._ "

"Getting kinda cramped, sir... can't you hurry up?" Danny asked, urgently.

" _I'm working on half power, here._ "

"Stop complaining," Jefferson said, sternly.

"Mr Jefferson says 'stop complaining'," Rose told Danny, teasingly.

"I heard," Danny said, dryly.

"He heard," Rose told Jefferson.

"But the air's getting a bit thin," Tony said, pointedly.

"Perhaps it is thinning because all of you are _talking_!" the Priestess snapped, frustrated.

All fell silent, looking away from the Priestess lest she turn those angry eyes of hers on them next.

Danny wiped the sweat of his face. Rose sniffed, her face screwed up in disgust.

"Danny, is that you?"

"I'm not exactly happy," Danny said, defensively.

" _I'm just moving the air..._ _I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm... or it's gonna feel worse._ "

There was a loud banging from the other end of the tunnel and Jefferson aimed his gun.

"What was that?" Danny asked, worriedly.

"Mr Jefferson, what was that?" Rose's voice was loud.

"What's that noise?" Toby frowned.

"I imagine it is the Ood," the Priestess said, slowly.

" _Yeah, the junction in Habitation Five's been opened, it must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels!_ " Zach said, warningly.

"Well, open the gate!" Danny snapped.

" _I've gotta get the air in!_ "

"Just open it!" Danny paused. "... sir," he amended.

"Where are they? Are they close?" Rose swallowed hard.

" _Don't know, I can't tell, I can't see them... the computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms,_ " Zach said, frustrated.

"Whose idea was that?" Rose asked, harshly.

" _OPEN the gate!_ " Danny roared into his communication device.

The gate slid open and they lunged through it.

" _Danny, turn left. Immediate left._ "

They crawled down the tunnel as fast as they could, Jefferson scooting backwards with his gun at the ready.

"The Ood, sir, can't you trap them? Cut off the air?" he asked, curiously.

" _Not without cutting off yours_. _Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan, they're gonna catch up!_ "

"I'll maintain defence of position!" Jefferson offered.

"No," the Priestess snapped. "You cannot stop."

Jefferson halted, aiming his gun. "Priestess, that's my job," he said, gently. "You've got your task, now see to it."

"You heard what he said, now _shift_ ," Toby growled, shoving past the two women.

The four moved on, leaving Jefferson. An Ood appeared from round the corridor and crawled towards Jefferson, who fired his gun. The others could hear the bullets hitting the walls of the maintenance shafts as they crawled as fast as possible. Jefferson turned and shot more oncoming Ood, just as the four reached the next junction.

"8.2. Open 8.2. Zach!" Danny said, urgently.

" _I've gotta aerate it!_ "

"OPEN IT NOW!" Danny shouted, furiously.

" _I'm trying,_ " Zach said, defensively.

Danny thumped on the gate, desperate.

Rose grabbed his wrist before he could do too much damage to his hand. "Danny, stop it. That's not helping," she said, grimly.

"Zach, get it open!" Toby insisted.

" _Jefferson... I've gotta open 8.2 by closing 8.1. You've got to get past the junction, now move. That's an order, now move!_ _I'm gonna lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!_

Gate 8.2 opened, allowing Danny, the Priestess, Rose and Toby through it.

"Come on!"

The Priestess and Rose exchanged a look before glancing back down the corridor. After a moment, they followed.

" _Danny, turn left and head for 9.2. That's the last one. Jefferson_ , _you've gotta move faster. Move!_ "

"Mr Jefferson, come on-!" Rose urged.

Toby shoved her forward without any finesse. "Keep _going_!" he snapped.

But it was too late and the gate closed, leaving Jefferson trapped on the wrong side, who slumped against it, panting.

"Regret to inform, sir... I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days," Jefferson said, solemnly.

" _I can't open 8.1, John. Not without losing air for the others,_ " Zach said, apologetically.

"And quite right too, sir. I think I bought them a little time."

The others had reached the end of the tunnel.

" _There's nothing I can do, John._ _I'm sorry,_ " Zach said, quietly.

"You've done enough, sir. Made a very good captain under the circumstances."

Danny and Rose were both close to tears, while the Priestess looked down at her knees, wringing her hands together.

"I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section... can you speed up the process of its removal?" Jefferson asked, curiously.

" _I don't understand. What do you mean?_ " Zach asked, confused.

Jefferson stared down the tunnel. "Well... if I might choose the manner of my departure, sir... lack of air seems more natural than... well... let's say... death by Ood."

An Ood crawled towards him.

"I'd appreciate it, sir!" Jefferson called out, urgently.

" _God speed, Mr Jefferson._ "

"Thank you, sir."

Zach cleared his throat. " _Report... Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD... deceased... with honours._ "

* * *

 **A/N** : Well, I hope you guys liked the first part to this episode. It was a bit complicated to write, because I didn't want the Priestess to completely take over everything that Rose did because she wouldn't just do the same things. But unfortunately, she only has her sonic lipstick at hand and she couldn't do much from the maintenance shafts. She'll do much more (hopefully) in the next chapter. I also don't want to have the Priestess and Rose fight too much as well. I mean, yes, they are clashing over their feelings for the Doctor, but at the same time, I want them to have their moments of female solidarity and moments where Rose eases up a bit because she realises the Priestess spent the last three decades being tortured, so may be a bit slow in some cases.

Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _Bladewolf101_ : Unfortunately, I won't be getting to season 3, but in what I had envisioned for season 3, Martha would definitely be helping Tess get over what happens in this story.

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : Thank you!

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you!

 _Guest_ : Thank you!

 _PengPenguin_ : Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I won't be finishing the fic, but I will be putting up a summary that tells all of you exactly what was going to happen.


	21. The Satan Pit: Drag Me to Hell

**A/N** : I think I'm running out of witty/significant things to say in these notes.

 **Warnings** : Sexual Content (like actual smut, so be warned if you're not comfortable with actual sexy times). Angst. Fluff.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 21**

 **The Satan Pit: Drag Me to Hell**

 _An Ood crawled towards him._

" _I'd appreciate it, sir!" Jefferson called out, urgently._

" _God speed, Mr Jefferson."_

" _Thank you, sir."_

 _Zach cleared his throat. "Report... Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD... deceased... with honours."_

Danny, Rose, the Priestess and Toby sat in silence.

" _43K2.1,_ " Zach finished.

Danny cleared his throat, his eyes red. "Zach... we're at the final junction. 9.2. And er... if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives," he said, solemnly.

" _Noted. Opening 9.2._ "

The gate slid open, revealing the Ood which were right behind it, waiting for them. The Priestess, Rose, Danny and Toby scrambled away, shocked and afraid, their hearts in their throats.

"Lower 9.2. Zach, lower it!" Rose shouted, desperately.

"Back! Back! Back!" Danny scuttled backwards.

"We can't go back!" Toby protested. "The gang point's sealed off; we're stuck!"

The Priestess' eyes rolled upwards and she noticed the grilling above their heads.

"Come," she said, urgently, lifting up and pushing it out of the way.

She climbed up and emerged through the floor of the corridor above, Rose and Danny following. The Ood crawled towards Toby.

"Come on! Toby, come on!" Rose called out, hurriedly.

Unbeknownst to them, Toby looked at the Ood and placed a finger to his lips, his eyes glowing red once more.

"Toby, get out of there!" Rose shouted.

Toby scrambled up, his eyes wide and panicked and ordinary. "Help me! Oh, my God, help me!"

Rose and Danny hoisted him up through the hole, as more Ood approach from one end of the corridor.

"It's this way," Danny called out, running in the opposite direction of the Ood.

The other three followed Danny along the corridor, while the Ood were in pursuit.

" _Hurry up!_ " Zach shouted.

Finally, Danny, Rose, the Priestess and Toby burst through the doors into Ood Habitation, and rushed over to the computer. The Ood that were cloistered inside looked up at their arrival, eerily.

"Get it in!" Rose said, desperately, eyeing the Ood with fear.

"Danny, get down," Toby urged.

"Transmit!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm getting at it-"

"Stop them!" Toby shouted.

The Ood were making their way up the stairs towards them.

"Danny, get that thing transmitting!"

After a moment, the reading on the computer slowly decreased to Basic 0. The Ood clutched at their heads and stumbled about, collapsing to the floor. There was nothing but silence and shallow breathing from the four of them.

Rose beamed in relief. "You did it! We did it!" she crowed.

"Yes!" Danny exclaimed.

Rose laughed in delight, as did Danny, and she threw her arms around him, then hugged Toby, who grinned at her exuberance. Finally, she embraced the Priestess tightly, the two of them swaying on their feet. The Priestess kept her arms by her side, still not accustomed to the show of affection that seemed to come so naturally to humans (not to mention, the instinctual reminder of what Van Statten had done to her in that Otherforsaken prison he had stowed her in), but welcomed the gesture nonetheless.

"Zach, we did it," Rose spoke into the communication device, cheerfully. "The Ood are down. Now we've gotta get the Doctor."

" _I'm on my way._ "

Without much more fanfare, the Priestess and Rose rushed from Ood Habitation.

* * *

The Doctor was still being lowered down the pit, in complete darkness.

"You get representations of the Horned Beast right across the universe. In the myths and legends of a million worlds. Earth... Draconia, Velconsadine... Daemos... the Kaled God of War... it's the same image, over and over again. Maybe... that idea came from somewhere. Bleeding through... the thought at the back of every sentient mind," the Doctor mused.

Ida frowned. "Emanating from here?" she asked, curiously.

The Doctor would have shrugged if he was in a position to. "Could be."

"But if this is the original... does that make it real? Does that make it the actual devil, though?" Ida pursed her lips.

"Well, if that's what you want to believe. Maybe that's what the devil is, in the end. An idea," the Doctor offered.

The cable finally ran out and the Doctor jerked to a halt.

"That's it. That's all we've got," Ida called out.

The Doctor pressed buttons on the device on his wrist.

"You getting any sort of readout?" Ida asked, curiously.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nothing. Could be miles to go, yet. Or... could be thirty feet. No way of telling." He paused, pondering. "I could survive thirty feet."

"Oh, no you don't. I'm pulling you back up," Ida said, hurriedly.

She pressed the button to hoist him back up. But the Doctor intercedes by pressing a button on his own end, stopping her.

Ida strode to the edge of the pit with an expression of fury. "What're you doing?!" she demanded, loudly.

"You bring me back, then we're just gonna sit there and run out of air. I've gotta go down." The Doctor said, slowly, soliciting her agreement.

Ida hitched in a choppy breath. "But you can't. Doctor, you _can't_." Her voice was thick with fear.

"Call it an act of faith," the Doctor offered, releasing one of the hooks securing him to the cable.

"But... I don't want to die on my own," Ida said, weakly.

The Doctor softened. "I know," he murmured, releasing another hook.

* * *

The Priestess swept into the exploration deck and without a second thought, picked up the communication device.

"Doctor? Are you there? Doctor? Ida?" she called out, roughly.

 _Theta? Answer me._

But there was nothing on either end.

Her hearts plummeted into her stomach without much ceremony, leaving her cold and bereft, not even the Doctor's mind there to keep her steady. She felt herself wavering, the sickening urge to let herself fall so _tempting_ , but if she did, thirty years trapped in darkness with nothing but memories as painful as they were heartening to keep her company would lack significance and the Other would take her before she let all those monoliths inside her crack and falter.

"The comms are still down. I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute," Zach suggested, starting to work at the computer, while the Priestess and Rose looked on, anxious, the latter her eyes wide.

* * *

The Doctor released another hook, his eyes moving upwards.

"I didn't ask… have you got any sort of faith, or...?" he asked, curiously.

Ida clambered onto the edge of the pit. "Not really. I was brought up Neo Classic, congregational... because of my mum, she was..." She paused, her eyes turning wistful. "My old mum. But no, I never believed," she mused.

"Neo Classic, have they got a devil?"

Ida pursed her lips, thinking it over. "No, not as such. Just um... the things that men do."

The Doctor flickered a smile she couldn't see. "Same thing in the end."

"What about you?" Ida returned.

The Doctor takes a deep breath, considering it. "I believe... I believe I haven't seen everything," he said, definitively. "I don't know... it's funny, isn't it? The things you make up, the rules. If that thing had said it came from _beyond_ the universe, I'd believe it, but _before_ the universe... impossible." He shook his head. "Doesn't fit my rule. Still, that's why I keep travelling. To be proved wrong." He stilled. "Thank you, Ida."

Ida jumped to her feet, a wave of panic hitting her abruptly. "Don't go!" she begged.

The Doctor looked up, his eyes darkening with emotion. "If they get back in touch... if you talk to Tess... just tell her..." He looked down, the courage leaving him.

Ida remained still, waiting for him to continue.

"Tell her I..." His hand tightened around the hook. His shoulders slumped. "Oh, she knows," he whispered to himself.

If he were braver, he would have opened their bond and told her goodbye himself, let her mind flood his (because Omega knew that would- _she_ would be enough to stop him from doing something albeit necessary but reckless). But he had always been a coward, at least where she was concerned; it was easier to leave the farewell in the air than actually find the words to say to her ( _her_ , beautiful, kind, fierce, _constant_ Annika who had done nothing but love him since they were those stupidly naïve children in the Academy and he had tripped over himself like the clumsy thing he was and had fallen at her feet and looked up at her and seen that _divinity_ in her eyes that consumed him whole and made him _right_ and _significant_ ), because how could he actually say those words to _her_?

He released the final hook and fell into nothingness.

 _Nikki. I'm so sorry._

If these were his final words, let it be her name.

* * *

"Doctor?" the Priestess called out, desperately, resisting the urge to dig her hands through her hair. "Are you there? Doctor? Ida? Are you able to hear me?" She gritted her teeth. "Are you there, Doctor?"

"He's gone." Ida's voice crackled over the communication device.

Her ribcage stuttered.

"What do you mean?" the Priestess demanded.

"He fell. Into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is, miles and miles and miles."

 _Oh, no. Oh, please, no._

She cleaved open her side of the bond.

 _Theta? Please, answer me._

But there was nothing. It was as empty as the black hole they were hovering underneath.

"What do you mean 'he fell'?" Her voice was rough with dread.

Rose placed a hand on her arm, tightening to the point of bruising, grief echoing in her eyes.

"I couldn't stop him. He said your name..." Ida trailed off.

The Priestess' nails dug into her palms, leaving half-moon indents in her skin. Zach gently tugged the device away from the Priestess, who stared straight ahead, emotion waning from her features until she was nothing but an empty shell.

"I'm sorry," Zach said, softly.

The Priestess had nothing to say to him. An arm wrapped around her torso, as if to hold herself together in fear of falling apart.

"Ida? There's no way of reaching you," Zach murmured into the device. "No cable, no back-up... you're ten miles down..." He paused, as if the next words were difficult to say. "We can't get there."

* * *

Ida looked around, crossing her arms over her chest. "You should see this place, Zach." She sat back down on the edge of the pit. "It's beautiful. Well, I wanted to discover things..." She teared up. "And here I am."

" _We've got to abandon the base,_ " Zach told her, apologetically.

Ida bit her lip.

" _I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again._ "

"But we'll never find out what it was?" Ida protested.

" _Well, maybe that's best._ "

Ida swallowed hard. "Yeah."

" _Officer Scott-_ "

"It's all right," Ida sighed. "Just go. Good luck."

* * *

"Thank you." Zach cleared his throat, replacing the device. "Danny, Toby, close down the feed links. Get the retrotopes online. Then get to the rocket, strap yourselves in. We're leaving."

Rose turned to him. "I'm not going," she declared.

"Rose, there's space for you," Zach said, reassuringly.

"No, I'm gonna wait for the Doctor. Just like he waited for me." Rose nodded to herself, definitively.

"You are leaving with them," the Priestess said, suddenly.

"Like hell I am!" Rose shot back, her lips white with anger.

"I apologise; did it seem like I was encouraging a discussion on this topic?" The Priestess snapped.

Rose's voice lowered. "He can't be…" she trailed off, her voice thick with tears. "He's-he's not... and even if he was, how could I leave him? All on his own, all the way down there? No. I'm gonna stay. I have nothing left, I have to stay for him," she insisted.

The Priestess dragged her hands across her face, twisting them together to still the shake in her fingers. Unfortunately, it did nothing to diminish her frustration with the blonde girl in front of her.

"You sound like a child," the Priestess said, scornfully, sending Rose reeling from humiliation. "You have a mother that _loves_ you, good friends, a home to live in, food on your table and the possibility of employment. Many others in this world do not even have _that_ , yet even they would not say they have nothing else in life. Do you truly believe you are comparable to _them_?" she demanded.

Rose found herself flushing in shame. "I-I… I can't," she whispered. Her eyes shot up. "How can _you_ just leave him like that?"

"The Doctor would want you _safe_ ," the Priestess hissed. "I am merely fulfilling that."

"I _won't_ leave him," Rose cried.

The Priestess clenched her fists. She had never resorted to violence in order to get her way and she would not start now (even if the idea of swatting the stubborn girl was tempting).

"I understand that defiance may be a quality that the Doctor finds amusing, perhaps even admirable. But let me be _irrefutable_. You exist because the Doctor _wills_ you into existence. He is incredibly compassionate and singular for one of our race and I leave him to his amusement. But do not make the mistaking of assuming that I am the same as him. I am not. My duty is to the preservation of this universe's time-space continuum. The moment you begin to interfere with that, your safety becomes irrelevant to me. You have already toyed with my patience many times before. Do not believe that I will be the same every instance. But it is your fortune that you have not tested me to the point where I would abandon you here. You _are_ leaving with them. Even if I must render you unconscious first." She turned away. "And if you had seen the level of sins he, himself, has committed for a single cause, you would not believe him to be so exemplary," she growled.

"You can't _make_ me leave!" Rose argued.

"Oh, but I can." The Priestess' smile was devoid of humour, but sharp like a knife.

Her hands were suddenly clasped against Rose's skull, her dark eyes boring into Rose. Rose struggled in her ironclad grip but soon felt her strength fading, her vision going black at the edges until her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped forwards. Danny and Toby quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

"What did you do to her?" Zach asked, worriedly.

"Fear not, she is simply unconscious. She will wake, but not quick enough to prevent her departure," the Priestess said, simply. She eyed the syringe in Zach's hand. "I believe you are not one to balk at such measures."

Zach swallowed hard. "I have lost too many people. I am not leaving you two behind." He hesitated. "Are you going to argue too?"

The Priestess' lips twitched, although she felt no amusement (no, she could-would not feel anything until the Doctor's condition was confirmed for her). It was more of an instinctual reaction to his courage.

"I should not leave him here," the Priestess mused, ignoring the ache in her chest cavity that agreed with her. "But I know that he would be unreservedly furious with me if I stayed." She said, wistfully. "But in any case, if I were to struggle, your sedative would take twice as long to be effective than it would on a human." She eyed an insentient Rose, who was hoisted over Zach's shoulder. "I suggest we get her on board."

The four emerged into a corridor, which was littered with the Ood.

Toby pointed at one, shakily. "Did that one just move?"

The Ood in question opened its eyes and lifted its head, as if responding to Toby's comment.

Danny hissed in frustration. "The telepathic field, it's reasserting itself."

"Move it, get to the rocket, move!" Zach said, urgently, and the four hurried down the corridor.

INSERT LINE HERE

The Doctor lay face down at the bottom of the pit, his helmet in pieces around him. He stirred finally, groaning to himself, as he pulled himself upwards, his arms and legs aching with every small movement. He was sure that the glass from his helmet had sliced into him somewhere – which has when he realised that it had, in fact, broken. He gasped, a hand flying to his mouth.

"I'm breathing," the Doctor murmured in wonder. He removed whatever was left of the helmet and looked around. "Air cushion to support the fall..." He mused, turning on the communication device. "You can breathe down here, Ida." The device crackled. He paused, worriedly. "Can you hear me, Ida?" he asked, cautiously.

 _Tess, can you hear me?_

But not even she was answering.

* * *

"Dislocating B-Clamp, C-Clamp, raising blue nitrates to maximum. Toby, how's the negapact feed line?" Zach twisted his head around.

"Clear! Ready to go, sir. For God's sakes, get us out of here!" Toby exclaimed, his face etched with panic.

Rose stirred awake, slowly.

Danny looked at her, worriedly. "Captain... I think we're gonna have a problem passenger..." he trailed off.

"Keep an eye on her," Zach said, sternly.

"Wait... I'm not..." Rose looked around, desperately.

"It's all right, Rose, you're safe-" Zach soothed

"I'm not going anywhere!" Rose shouted, tugging at her seatbelt. "Get me out of this thing! Get me out!"

"And... lift-off!"

The three men whooped and cheered as the rocket lifted off.

* * *

Ida looked up, as did the Doctor, at the bottom of the pit.

"A rocket..." the Doctor whispered, watching it fly further and further away.

* * *

Rose spotted the bolt gun, but before she could snatch it for herself, the Priestess had already seized a hold of it.

"What are you doing?" Rose demanded.

"Did you believe I would let you coerce him into delivering back to that monstrosity of a planet?" The Priestess quirked an eyebrow.

Rose's voice slipped lower until she was begging. "I _have_ to go back."

The Priestess stared at her for a moment. There was nothing but unabashed panic and worry and desperation in the girl's eyes. Clearly, Rose had some sort of feelings for the Doctor – be they love, like Rose thought, or something infinitely more complex. While it galled her (and it did, for she wasn't so evolved that the idea of another woman wanting _her_ Bondmate didn't aggravate her, even if no one, not even Rose Tyler, could possibly feel for the Doctor what she had or she does or she will), as someone who had spent most of her very long existence agonising over the Doctor's safety, she found herself softening.

"The Doctor would not want _your_ safety to be compromised because of _his_ decisions," she said, gently.

Rose held her gaze for a moment and finally slumped back in her chair, her eyes suspiciously wet.

"Sorry, but it's too late anyway. Take a look outside. We can't turn back," Zach approached, hesitantly.

Rose looked out of the window.

* * *

The Doctor shone his torch on the wall of the underground cavern, where there were crude drawings of a horned beast and tiny stick figures surrounding it.

"History of some big battle. Man against Beast. I dunno if you're getting this, Ida. Hope so. Anyway, they defeated the Beast and imprisoned it," the Doctor muttered.

 _Nikki, come on, if this is you ignoring me, I'm going to be furious._

The light of his torch fell on what looks like a large vase on a stand. Surprised, he turned the torch light back on the symbols of people carrying the vase on their heads. He approached the vase, seeing that there was another one in line with the first.

"Or maybe that's the key..." the Doctor mused, touching the vase, which led to both of them lighting up. "Or the gate, or the bars..."

The Doctor stilled and turned upon hearing a quiet growl. His mouth opened in terrible shock, as he found, before him, in a pit, a huge horned beast, chained down, which roared at him in fury.

* * *

In the rocket, Toby started to laugh quietly to himself, as Rose clicked her seatbelt closed.

"What's the joke?" Danny's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Just... we made it. We escaped. We actually did it," Toby commented, half-heartedly.

But no one else shared his mirth.

"Not all of us," Rose murmured.

"We're not out of it yet. We're still the first people in history to fly AWAY from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats," Zach instructed.

Toby was still smirking. "Gravity funnel holding, sir. Always holding."

* * *

"I accept that you exist. I don't have to accept what you are, but your physical existence, I'll give you that," the Doctor offered.

The Beast growled in reply, and the Doctor took a few steps forwards.

"But I don't understand. I was _expected_ down here. I was given a safe landing, and air. You need me for something. What for?" he asked, cautiously.

The Beast lunged forwards, straining against the chains holding him.

"Have I got to... I dunno, beg an audience?" the Doctor suggested. "Or... is there a ritual? Some sort of incantation or summons or spell, all these things I don't believe in. Are they real?" he amended, curiously.

The Beast just looked at him, smugly.

"Speak to me! Tell me!" the Doctor said, loudly. But there was no reply. "You won't talk. Or... you _can't_ talk." He frowned. "Hold on, hold on. Wait a minute, just let me..." He paused, contemplating. "Oh! No. _Yes_! No... think it through, you _spoke_ before. I heard your voice. An intelligent voice. No, more than that, brilliant! But, looking at you now... all I can see..." The Beast growled. "Is..." Another growl. " _Beast_. The animal. Just... the body. You're just the body, the physical form! What's happened to your mind? Hmm? Where's it gone? Where's _that_ intelligence?" He glanced upwards as realisation dawned. "Oh, no..."

 _Nikki, please answer me. Nikki, come on. Answer me. Just let me know you're okay. Please, Nikki, SAY SOMETHING._

* * *

"Stats. at 53, funnel status at 66.5. Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir. All the way back home," Toby told Zach.

The Priestess stared simply ahead, not allowing herself to think beyond the motion of the spacecraft.

"Coordinates set for Planet Earth," Toby murmured, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in an unpleasant smile.

* * *

The Doctor shone his torch on the symbols covering the walls.

"You're imprisoned," he mused. "Long time ago. Before the universe, after, sideways, in-between, doesn't matter." His eyes widened. "The positioning is _perfect_. It's absolutely… it's eternal. Oh, _yes_!" He crowed. "Open the prison, the gravity field collapses! This planet falls into the black hole! You escape, you die. _BRILLIANT_! But that's just the body. The body is trapped, that's all. The devil is just an idea. In all those civilisation, just an idea." He paused. "Omega, I wish 'Tess could see this." He edged forwards, slowly, as he worked it out. "But an idea is hard to kill. An idea could escape. The mind, the mind of the great Beast, the mind can escape! Oh, but that's it!" He rounded on the Beast. "You didn't give me air, your jailers did! They set this up! All those years ago! They need me alive. Because if you're escaping, then I've gotta stop you." He said, fiercely.

The Beast roared in fury, straining against the chains. The Doctor picked up a rock.

"If I destroy your prison, your body is destroyed. Your mind with it," he growled.

He swung the rock over his head, ready to bring it crashing down on the vase, and then stopped, dropping it in the end.

"But then you're clever enough to use this whole system against me," the Doctor murmured. "If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket. The rocket loses protection and falls into the black hole." He eyed the Beast, grimly. "I'll have to sacrifice 'Tess."

Because not even she could survive that.

There was a look of mild disgust on his face, as the Beast laughed mirthlessly.

* * *

Rose looked at the Priestess, suddenly, leaning closer.

"It doesn't make sense. We escaped, but there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've... ripped out the air or... I dunno, burnt us, or anything. But it let us go. Why?" she murmured.

"Perhaps it wanted us to escape," the Priestess replied.

"Hey, Rose, do us a favour..." Toby canted in her direction. "Shut up," he growled, rudely. Rose stared at him, shocked, but he looked away. "Almost there. We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in 40... 39..."

* * *

"So, that's the trap. Or the test or the final judgment, I don't know. But if I kill you, I kill her. I kill them," the Doctor amended, suddenly remembering a hopeful Rose that he was sure that Nikki would have strong-armed onto that ship, with or without Rose's permission.

The Beast laughed, then roared at him.

That sent a righteous, incredulous anger hurtling straight through him.

"Except that implies, in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils, that she's just a victim," he mused. "And if you knew 'Tess, at all, you would know that _anyone_ who has ever tried to make her a victim has gone up in flames. She'll never stop fighting, not until she's nothing but atoms in the wind, and I don't expect _that_ to happen for a long time. _You_ are not the thing that kills her." He said, fiercely. "I've seen a lot of this universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi gods and would-be gods, out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing... just one thing..."

He gritted his teeth.

"I believe in _her_."

And with that, he picked up the rock once more and smashed the vase without even a second's hesitation.

* * *

The rocket began to shake violently.

Danny held onto the armrests of his chair, desperately. "What happened? What was that?!" he exclaimed.

"What's he doing? What is he doing?" Toby cried out.

"We've lost the funnel! Gravity collapse!" Zach cursed.

"What does that mean?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"We cannot escape," the Priestess said, grimly, locking her feet together before she toppled forwards. "We will fall into the black hole."

Just as she predicted, the rocket turned back on itself and spiralled towards the black hole.

* * *

The Doctor smashed the other vase.

"This is your freedom! Free to _die_. You're going into that black hole and I'm riding with you," the Doctor swore, as flames erupted from the Beast's mouth.

* * *

Rose looked out of the window. "It's the planet. The planet's moving. It's falling," she muttered.

She slumped back in her seat and glanced at Toby, reeling backwards in shock. His eyes were red and seething, black symbols painted onto his skin.

"I am the rage-"

"It's Toby, Priestess, do something-" Rose smacked at the Priestess' hands.

"And the bile and the ferocity."

"Just do something!" Rose shrieked.

"I am the Prince and the Fall and the Darkness-"

"It's him! It's him! It's him!" Danny scuttled against his end of the spacecraft.

"Stay where you are, the ship's not stable!" Zach snapped, but Toby expelled a burst of flame from his mouth. His eyes widened. "What is he?! What the _hell_ is he?!"

* * *

The Beast writhed around, burning up.

* * *

"I shall never die! The thought of me is forever! In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust-"

The Priestess thumbed the bolt gun in her hand.

She tugged on Rose's wrist, impatiently. "Unbuckle his seatbelt, once I give you the signal," she ordered, quietly.

"What?" Rose hissed.

"Just do it!" the Priestess snapped, lowly.

"Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!"

The Priestess aimed the gun at the front window.

"Go to hell," the Priestess said, darkly.

She fired the gun, shattering the glass, and nudged Rose, pointedly, who reached over and undid Toby's seatbelt. The vacuum of space yanked him through the window and into the void beyond the spacecraft, pulling whatever he had become towards the black hole, despite his furious and incredulous roars.

"Emergency shield!" Zach exclaimed.

He pressed a button and the emergency shield activated, covering the gaping hole in the windshield. The rocket continued to shake and shudder, headed towards the black hole.

"We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole!" Zach swore.

"But we stopped him. That's what the Doctor would've done." Rose looked at the Priestess, commiserating, who nodded, patting her on the hand.

"Some victory," Zach scoffed. "We're going in."

The rocket continued to spirals towards the black hole.

* * *

The Beast was burning up, struggling against his chains.

* * *

Danny looked at the computer screen. "The planet's lost orbit! It's falling!" he called out, terrified.

* * *

The Doctor ran back down the tunnel, away from the Beast. A blast of air knocked him backwards, straight into something solid. He looked up and beamed, when he found that he had inadvertently slammed into the TARDIS, making him laugh with delight.

* * *

The computer screen indicated that the planet had fallen into the black hole, and then went blank.

"The planet's gone." Danny looked at the Priestess and Rose, who remained silent. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

The Priestess couldn't hear anything over the destructive sound of her heartsbeat.

 _Theta?_

Her plea was broken; the bond hadn't snapped, so he wasn't dead (logic told her this, but when that twisted feeling in her stomach reared its ugly head, it was difficult to argue). But it didn't help her already shattering composure that he wasn't answering her. He could be hurt _or_ -

But what could stop him from _answering_ her?

And she had just _left him there_. Omega, what sort of Bondmate was she?

"Accelerate. I did my best. But hey, first Human Beings to fall inside a black hole. How about that? History," Zach said, weakly.

Rose closed her eyes and reached out to hold onto the Priestess' hand, who gripped it firmly, reassuringly.

At least she wasn't alone.

They held on tight as the rocket shook violently, their eyes screwed shut, ready for the impact, when it stopped.

Silence fell.

Rose opened her eyes. "What happened?"

They all leaned to one side as the rocket turns.

"We're... turning," Zach stumbled, confused. He looked at the screen. "We're turning around. We're turning away!"

 _Nikki?_

The Priestess' hearts stuttered. _Theta? You are-you are safe? You are unhurt?_

Omega, it was like all those invisible wounds he had carved into her with his disappearance were stitching back together.

 _I'm fine, I found the TARDIS, which I'm inside of, by the way. I'm the one turning your ship's trajectory._

 _You should know… I am beyond cross._

The Doctor's wince was a ripple across their bond. _Yeah, I thought so. Possibility of atoning for it?_

She huffed. _Perhaps, if you are creative with your efforts._

The Doctor would have waggled his eyebrows if she could've seen him. _Wouldn't you like to know?_ He paused. _I should probably let them know it was me, right?_

Humour wound around the Priestess, something she thought would never happen again. _I believe that is appropriate._

The onboard speaker flared to life.

" _Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship TARDIS,_ " the Doctor called out, cheerfully.

The Priestess flickered a smile. While most of the time, she good-naturedly rolled her eyes at his eccentricity, she had careened inwardly thinking she would never see or hear his arbitrary thought process. Hearing it now, it made her hands shake with the need to throw her arms around him once more.

Rose's mouth dropped open and her eyes lit up.

" _Now, first thing's first, have you got a certain Time Lady and one, Rose Tyler on board?_ " the Doctor asked, curiously.

Rose jumped in her seat from her joy. "I'm here! We're here! It's us! Oh, my God!" she cried out, laughing, dragging her hand across her face, giddy with relief and happiness. "Where are you?" she demanded, immediately.

" _I'm just towing you home. Gravity-schmavity. Our people practically invented black holes,_ " the Doctor scoffed.

The Priestess' lips twitched. "In fact, they did," she drawled.

" _In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and captain, can we do a swap? Say, if you give me 'Tess and Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?_ " the Doctor offered, brightly.

"She's alive!" Zach exclaimed, delighted.

"YES!" Danny shouted in relief. "Thank God."

" _Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right,_ " the Doctor's voice lowered, solemnly. " _I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet._ " There was a beeping sound on his end. " _Ah! Entering clear space, end of the line, mission closed._ "

* * *

Rose smiled to herself, so happy and relieved and proud of him, all at the same time. Finally, she turned to the Priestess, who had her head tilted backwards, her eyes closed. She hesitated before tapping her on the wrist, and the Time Lady's eyes snapped open, looking at her curiously.

"That was pretty badass," Rose commented, shyly.

The Priestess cocked her head in amusement. "Badass? I assume that is a compliment?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, it is."

The Priestess smiled. "Then, thank you. And your unbuckling of his seatbelt was also very… badass, as you say," she said, awkwardly.

Rose laughed (honestly, she didn't think a conversation with the Priestess had gone so well before). "Thanks, Priestess. And just…" she stammered. "What you said earlier about me having things to go back to. I… I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said, gently, swallowing hard. "I mean, you lost your planet and your home and your family and your friends and here I was, complaining about having nothing left. I didn't mean to offend you." She whispered.

The Priestess sighed. "It is alright, Rose."

Rose bit her lip. "Sometimes… I just get caught up in the Doctor and travelling and I-I lose sight of what's important, I guess." She shrugged, looking off somewhere into the distance.

The Priestess swept her hair over one shoulder. "That is understandable. You are young and from what the Doctor has told me concerning your past, I imagine this is the first period in your lifetime where you have felt the freedom to do such things. But you should not forget where you come from, Rose. From what I have seen, being a human is an incredible feat. I would not want you to lose that," she said, gently.

Rose swallowed hard. "My priorities get screwed up sometimes." She paused. "Yours never seem to." There was actual admiration in her eyes.

"Well, for one, I am much older than you," the Priestess said, pointedly. "When I was your age, I was slightly more reckless. Not as much as the Doctor, of course. But more than I am now. But my childhood, if you are able to refer to it as that, was uncompromising, to say the least. My father was not a kind man and he demanded greatness from me. Needless to say, I disappointed him frequently." She mused. "And he perished long before I achieved the aspirations he intended for me. Therefore, I never had the opportunity to enjoy the freedom you are currently enjoying. I would never wish for you to lose that freedom, Rose." Her touch on Rose's wrist was affectionate. "I only ask that you also consider what you already possess. There is much you have that I long for – family, friends, a home. All of that which was mine ceased to exist long ago."

Rose sucked in a breath. "I think I might go and spend some time with my mum for a while," she murmured.

"If you believe that is what you need," the Priestess offered, cautiously.

She wasn't deliberately manipulating Rose to come to that decision herself (no matter how much she preferred space between the infatuated human girl and her Bondmate), but it didn't mean that she would actively discourage her from that decision.

Rose's nod was firm. "Yeah, maybe, I need some… perspective sometimes."

But the Priestess knew it wouldn't be as simple as that.

* * *

Rose swung open the doors of the TARDIS, the Priestess following behind her. The Doctor looked up from the console and grinned. Rose raced towards him and the Doctor caught her in his arms, lifting her clean off the floor. Rose giggled in his embrace, squeezing him tightly, and then the Doctor placed her back down.

The Doctor shot the Priestess a questioning look, at which she simply waved off. He found the microphone. "Zach? We'll be off, now. Have a good trip home." He paused. "And the next time you get curious about something-" The Priestess scoffed, which made him smile. "Oh... what's the point?" he sighed. "You'll just go blundering in. The human race..."

" _But Doctor, what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?_ " Ida asked, curiously.

"I don't know!" The Doctor shrugged. "Never did decipher that writing." He exchanged a fond look with the Priestess, who ducked her head. "But that's good! Day we know everything? Might as well stop," he commented.

Rose bit her lip. "What do you think it was? Really?"

"I think..." the Doctor took a deep breath. "We beat it. That's good enough for me."

Rose swallowed hard. "It said I was gonna die in battle," she whispered, deliberately.

The Priestess placed a hand on Rose's arm. "Then it lied." She said, lowly.

Lying was a sin that she found loathsome but necessary, from time to time. But perhaps this lie was one of the worst she had ever told.

But she would live with it, nonetheless. And the alternative – having Rose look over her shoulder for the rest of her time – wasn't all that attractive.

So, she would bear this lie as she had all the others.

And hope that the Doctor would forgive her for her part.

Rose smiled at her, confident in the older woman's reassurance.

"Right, onwards, upwards. Ida, see you again, maybe!" the Doctor said, cheerfully.

" _I hope so._ "

"And thanks, boys!" Rose called out, beaming.

" _Hang on though, Doctor. You never really said... you three... who are you?_ " Ida asked, curiously.

"Oh..." the Doctor looked at the Priestess and Rose. "The stuff of legend."

He pulled a lever and the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose watched the rotor rise and fall with smiles on their faces.

* * *

After some quiet conversation, the Time Lord and Lady dropped Rose at her mother's place with the promise of returning for her in a few days, leaving the Doctor and the Priestess alone in the TARDIS.

"So," the Doctor drawled. "No hug, then?"

The Priestess smiled, ducking her head down.

"I thought I would allow Rose the opportunity of first reuniting with you," she offered, casually. "She was truly… stricken by the thought of your death."

If something secretive and heartbreaking flickered in her eyes once she had finished, it was gone as quick as it was there, and he had just missed it.

All those secret things she kept twisted inside her (in fear of his reaction, in fear of his unhappiness, in fear of her resentment, in fear of her imperfection), it was painful, but she forced herself to remember the consequences of the choices she had made and could make.

The Doctor trailed a hand across the console. "And you?"

The Priestess tensed. "If you do not yet know how it would hurt me to think of your demise, then-"

The Doctor interjected. "No, sorry, that's not what I mean. How are _you_ doing?"

Omega, it was as if they were adolescents in the Academy, barely understanding their burgeoning feelings for one another, having to resort to sentence fragments in order to convey their affection.

The Priestess stared at him for a moment, before she hurtled into his arms, the Doctor wrapping his arms around her immediately. She curled a hand around the nape of his neck, pulling him down so that she could kiss him fiercely on the mouth. Once she pulled away, more out of want than need, pride bloomed in her chest at the dazed look in his eyes, his mouth streaked with the red from her lipstick.

"You almost died." The Priestess's voice was rough.

"Yeah," the Doctor stammered, still reeling from that kiss.

"You will not do that to me again," the Priestess said, lowly, almost a threat.

The Doctor swallowed hard. "Okay," he said, weakly.

Wasn't that just a threat he could abide by.

"Now," The Priestess rocked back on her heels. "I believe you promised me atonement." She smiled that sly little smile with those hot eyes that had his hands shaking with lust. "And _creative_ efforts?"

"Right." The Doctor's throat was too dry to say much more.

"Shall we withdraw to our bedroom?" the Priestess offered, provocatively, trailing a hand down from his collarbone right down to his pelvis, where she lingered deliberately.

She took the Doctor's hand in hers and led him, stumbling and speechless, out of the console room, as he watched her hips sway in that damning rhythm.

* * *

The Doctor spanned the curve of her hip, pressing her against the door, silencing her satisfied moan with his mouth. His hands trailed up her torso, until they were winding in her dark, soft waves, his kiss turning fierce, and she was hooking an ankle behind his knee.

She arched her hips into his, one hand curling into his thick hair and the other caressing between his shoulder-blades. She tugged at the hem of his suit jacket, impatiently, and he pulled it off unceremoniously. In response, the Doctor pulled her dress up and over her head, tossing it somewhere, leaving her bare from the waist up.

He groaned at the sight and palmed a single breast in one hand, her nipples tightening. She hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it off his shoulders, and pulled him close so that skin touched only skin. Her hands went for his belt buckle and unzipped his pants, pushing them down restlessly, until they pooled around his ankles, his amusingly-printed boxers going with them.

"How are you not naked?" he groaned into her mouth.

She laughed, tilting her head back as he raked his teeth down her neck. "Perhaps I am just more effective at this than you are," she teased.

The Doctor growled at the challenge. "I'll show you effective."

He knelt down in front of her, hooking fingers in her leggings and pulling them down to her ankles and off her feet, leaving her in a simple pair of black underwear – no lace, no silk, just plain cotton (productive, but powerful, just like her).

He kissed her hipbone, over the cotton, smiling at her sudden swill of air. His mouth settled over the damp material between her legs and a hand tightened around her smooth thigh. After a moment of lazy lapping, the Doctor moved away slightly to roll her underwear down her thighs and past her ankles, flinging it somewhere in the vicinity of her dress and leggings, leaving her just as bare as him.

The Priestess threw her head back, when his tongue found where she was all slick and wet and soft for him. She tightened a hand in her hair and hooked one of her thighs over his shoulder once more, wondering if there would a bruise where his fingers gripped her (she thought she would like that bruise very much). She gasped out a myriad of his name and words in Gallifreyan – prayers and pleas – which had him groaning against her flesh as he licked into her, all tart and sweet and heady.

Her pelvis rocked against his jaw when she tugged at his hair and the moment she knew she would fly into pieces, she pulled him up by his shoulders with a show of strength that had him smiling in delight. He trailed a hand up her warm flank, all smooth and supple and the colour of honey, watching her pink mouth part and gasp his name as he tugged at a nipple, making her muscles clench.

Then, he was the one gasping when she calmly reached down and fisted his cock, biting into her lower lip with a smug smile when he hissed out of gritted teeth. Even when she felt she had done everything under the thousands of suns she had seen, being with him, like this, felt like she was- _they were_ new all over again. He hooked her thigh over his lean hip, and watched one of her hands stretch up over head to curl in the doorframe above them and felt the pain-pleasure of her other hand twisting in his hair, when he pressed inside her slowly.

He dragged it out, inch by inch, keen and content to watch every expression flit across her sharp features (lust, awe, admiration, _satisfaction like there was nothing that made her whole than him inside her_ ).

When they were younger and had lain together, there had always been that touch of rebellion to all of their acts, knowing how all those austere Time Lords and Ladies would have balked and condemned the idea of using _flesh_ and _sinew_ to communicate base, shameful emotions like lust and affection like they were nothing more than animals. The Priestess had been that decent good girl, all proper and faultless and everything her father had wanted (the _perfect_ President in waiting), until she had met the Doctor, and fallen into that pit of defiance that she had been so unwilling to drag herself out of (she could have, but those glinting eyes of his had always given her second thoughts and she had never regretted it).

Their first night together had been in a haze of lust and love and disobedience and she hadn't regretted a single moment of it – not even when her father had found her the next day, the imprint of the Doctor's teeth still on her skin, her lips raw from his mouth and red still staining between her thighs, and struck her across the face. While she had loved the Doctor more than anything else in existence, she couldn't deny it had been rewarding to win against her domineering father for once in her life.

Nowadays, or at least since they had three children and settled into their somewhat quotidian life (even if it involved her Bondmate running off with pretty young humans to travel the universe, and _no_ , that was not resentment), lovemaking had been slow, careful; they had been content to take their time with each other, no longer needing that hurried fumbling of their youth to feel close to one another because they already knew everything about each other. The Doctor knew exactly where to stroke, to bite, to lick, to thrust in order to leave her a trembling, writhing mess, and the Priestess knew exactly when to twist her hand, to clench, to rake her nails down his back, to pull on his hair to have him shaking against her and groaning in her ear.

He bottomed out, just as slow, and she smacked the doorframe in frustration, much to his amusement. His second rock against her hips was more forceful, and had her smacking into the door. His fingers tightened against her hipbone and he began that glorious, pagan rhythm that had her holding him tightly against her, as if she were afraid he would leave if she loosened her grip.

One particular thrust left her keening against his mouth as he couldn't bear not to swallow the sound. His teeth dug into her neck, to the point of pain, as he focused on that slick-wet sounds coming from between their hips. He loved these moments – where he could get her to that point where she was panting _I love you I love you I love you_ in that breathy voice of hers, all that stoicism turning to cinders.

"More," she sighed. "More."

As if he could deny anything she asked of him.

His hands made their way into her hair and tugged, fiercely, knowing that she could handle the pain (in fact, she loved it, made her all the more wet between her legs).

"I love you," the Priestess whined, scraping her nails down his back.

His true name was a cry from her throat, her legs tightening around his waist, as she finally hurtled over that sweet edge, her muscles clenching tight around the base of his cock. She smacked the doorframe, nails digging into the wood, as every one of her nerve-endings were convulsing, her toes curling against the small of his back.

Just the sight of her orgasm was enough to having him coming as well, groaning her true name in her ear, rutting against her thighs uncontrollably until he was spilling inside her, leaving her even slicker. Her back arched and her head hit the door behind her (not enough to hurt, but the sharp thud brought her back to the real world). He panted against her neck, nudging against the damp, warm skin of her throat. He trailed a hand down her smooth flank and pulled her close and away from the door, until he was hauling her towards the bed, where they both inevitably tripped (their legs nothing but sap at this point) and fell down onto the mattress with a laugh.

She lifted her head slightly, so that he could slide his arm underneath her neck and she could rest her cheek on his forearm, turned into him. She threw an arm across his torso, her hand warm on his side, as her lips pressed against his collarbone, and their legs entwined together. His hand curled in her hair, letting it spill across his chest in a dark ripple, and he pressed his mouth against her hairline, gently.

"So, were my efforts creative enough?" the Doctor teased. "Or do I need to atone _more_?" His voice turned rough with intent.

The Priestess laughed against his chest. "Well," She trailed a hand down until she was palming his spent cock, as it hardened against her palm. "Perhaps more atonement would be _advantageous_ , especially in the future. I believe the humans refer to it as… paying it forward?" she crooned, provocatively.

She straddled him, her legs on either side of his hips, and leaned down, her mouth pressed against his solidly, her dark waves covering both of them like a cloak, hiding them from the rest of the universe.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hopefully, you guys enjoyed the sex scene; it's been awhile since I wrote one for this story, actually, and it was more of a 'yay, we all survived' kind of sex scene, as well as a comforting thing as well. Anyway, this chapter had the Doctor and the Priestess separated for most of it, but I thought it was nice that Rose and Tess got their bonding moments in the middle of it, even if they had a bit of a rocky start at the beginning of the chapter.

The next one will be an original chapter that ends with _Love & Monsters_ (honestly, I was tempted to just completely ignore it because it was such a stupid episode). Of course, if you guys just want the original chapter, I can always just not include _Love & Monsters _at all. But we're leading to the home stretch, guys, another five chapters to go and we'll hit the end of this story in the series. And Season 3 is… hell. I can promise you that.

Anyway, I will see you guys in the next chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

NicoleR85: Thank you!


	22. Fear Her: The Bad Seed

**A/N** : So, I decided to remove _Love & Monsters_, mainly because it's such a useless episode and offers absolutely nothing to the plot as a whole and I couldn't even be bothered to have the bit with Rose and the Doctor at the end of the chapter. Here's _Fear Her_. I was originally going to replace it with an original chapter, but I was having writer's block, so I decided against it and decided to do _Fear Her_ instead, only so that I could get to finally posting this story. And, just to do something different, in line with the last chapter, Rose is still with her mother's and she won't be joining us for this episode, unfortunately.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Angst.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 22**

 **Fear Her: The Bad Seed**

The TARDIS materialised right in between two gates, one saying 'DANGER – KEEP OUT' and the other saying 'NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THESE GATES'. When the Doctor tried to open the door, the gate blocked it as soon as it had budged an inch, as the TARDIS had materialised the wrong way around.

"Ah," the Doctor muttered, sheepishly, grimacing.

He turned around to see the Priestess leaning against the console, smirking to herself.

"Don't say 'I told you so'," he warned.

The Priestess fluttered her eyes, innocently. "Now, why would I say that?"

The Doctor scowled. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, moving back to the console and pressing down the lever.

The time rotor began to wheeze and the TARDIS materialised once more, this time the right way around.

The Doctor stepped out, cheerful. "Ah!" he exclaimed.

The Priestess rolled her eyes and followed him, looking around at what seemed like present-day London to her (although her knowledge on the matter wasn't as extensive as the Doctor's).

"What year would you say this is?" the Priestess asked, curiously, eyeing a musician's poster tacked onto a fence.

The Doctor shrugged. "Near future. I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass, it stopped."

* * *

The Doctor tugged on the Priestess' hand, leading her down a road, passing by a 'LONDON 2012' banner.

"30th Olympia," the Doctor remarked.

The Priestess pouted and leaned into him. "You made me wait all these years to take me to the Olympics?"

The Doctor leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth. "Sorry, 'Tess." He beamed at her. "Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about... wrestling each other in the sand with crowds stood about, begging..." He paused, frowning. "No, wait a minute... that was Club Med," he amended, laughing at his own joke, and nudged the Priestess. "Just in time for the opening doo dah… ceremony... tonight, I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again. Fella carrying the torch... lovely chap, what was his...?" he trailed off.

In the meantime, the Priestess slipped away, noticing the 'MISSING' posters, only seeming to feature children, tacked onto the lamp post, moving closer to investigate, but the Doctor continued as if he hadn't seen her, still chatting to himself.

"Mark...? John...? Mark...? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet," the Doctor continued.

"Doctor-" the Priestess began.

"And in those days, everybody had a tea party to go to."

"Doctor?" she called out again.

"Have you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top? Probably not, I'll get you one-"

"Doctor," the Priestess huffed, rounding on him.

"Do you know those-those things?" the Doctor finally sauntered over to her. "Nobody else in this entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius." He quickly read the posters. "What's taking them, do you think?" he asked, curiously, scanning the street. "Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this. Why's it so cold...? Is something reducing the temperature...?" he mused.

"These posters say they all went missing this week," the Priestess said, lowly.

The Doctor looked at her. "What do you think?"

The Priestess returned his look, unfathomably, unsure of what to say. They both turned around at the sound of a door opening, and a woman dumped a recycling sack on the pavement outside her house, hurrying back inside, all the while casting furtive looks around her all the while.

"Whatever it is, it has the whole street rattled."

The Doctor hurried along towards the other end of the road, finally halting in front of someone's garden, where they had set up a mini football goal, obviously for their children to play. He held out his hand in front of him, slowly moving it with a wave of his fingers, as though sensing something invisible. He crouched low, his hand hovering above what appears to be an ordinary area of grass.

The Priestess followed him, but as she strode down the pavement, a car stuttered to a halt in the middle of the road, as the engine broke down. She stopped and turned to watch, as a council worker propped his broom up against his white van and approached the car.

"There you go. Fifth today. Not natural, is it?" the council worker grimaced.

"I dunno what happened," the driver said, bemused. "I had it serviced less than a month ago."

"Nah, don't even try and explain it, mate." The council worker shook his head. "All the cars are doing it. And do you know what? It's bonkers. Bonkers." The driver got out of his car. "Come on then, pal. I'll help you shift it. Quicker you're on the way, happier you'll be," he suggested, pushing the car from behind, straining, while the driver pushes from the driver's side.

"There we go." The driver struggled.

The Priestess crossed the road. "Would you like help?" she offered.

The council worker shook his head, through visibly gritted teeth. "No, we're all right, love."

The Priestess' lips twitched. "No, I do not believe you are. I am… tougher… than I look, I promise."

She positioned herself behind the car and gestured for him to move over. Once he did so, she helped him push and the engine suddenly sprung to life, causing the council worker to promptly fall over, flat on his face. He stood, brushing himself down.

"Does this happen frequently?" the Priestess asked, curiously.

The driver didn't remain for long. "Cheers, mate!" he called out, driving off.

"Been doing it all week," the council worker said, disgruntled.

"Since the children disappeared?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow.

The council worker frowned, not seeing the connection. "Yeah, I s'pose so," he admitted.

* * *

The Doctor giggled as he felt whatever sensation he was experiencing over the grass.

"Tickles!"

The owner of the house, appeared behind him, despite the Doctor's inattention, his hands in his pockets.

"What's your game?" the man demanded.

The Doctor spun around. "My... um... Snakes and Ladders?" he floundered. "Quite good at... Squash. Reasonable," he stammered, noticing the look on the man's face, and he sobered. "I'm... being facetious, aren't I? There's no call for it."

* * *

The Priestess and the council worker (whose name she learned was Kel) walked along the road together.

"Every car cuts out. The council are going nuts," Kel explained. "I mean, they've given this street the works. Renamed it... I've been tarmacking every pot hole..." He gestured to the tar-ridden road. "Look at that. Beauty, innit? Yep! And all that is because that Olympic Torch comes right by the end of this close. Just down there. Everything's got to be perfect, ain't it? Only it ain't." He said, his voice hushed.

They came across an old woman, who stared at them with blank eyes.

"It takes 'em when they're playing," she whispered, pointedly.

The Priestess frowned. "What takes them?" she asked, curiously.

A dark-skinned woman popped her head around her front door.

"Danny... Jane... Dale... snatched in the blink of an eye," the old woman goaded.

The Doctor's voice, pleading, approached them. The Priestess rolled her eyes, watching him back away from a man who looked as if he were about to thrash him stupid.

"I'm-I'm a police officer!" the Doctor insisted. "I've got a badge and-and a police car... you don't have to get-I can-I can prove it! Just hold on-" He fished in his suit pocket for the psychic paper.

"We've had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you don't look, or sound, like any of them," the man said, roughly.

The Doctor gestured to the Priestess, desperately. "See, look! I've got a colleague! Lewis." He tugged on her wrist.

The man looked at the Priestess, in her pine-green plaid shirt, black skinny jeans and black, buckled ankle boots, and sneered.

"Well, she looks less like a copper than you do," he snapped.

"Training," the Doctor said, quickly. "New recruit. It was either that or hairdressing, so..." He finally brandished the psychic paper at the man, triumphantly. "Voila!" He crowed.

"What are you going to do?" a dark-skinned woman asked the Doctor, worriedly, twisting her hands together, nervously.

"The police have knocked on every door, no clues, no leads, nothing," the old woman explained.

The man who had accosted the Doctor shook his head. "Look, kids run off sometimes, all right? That's what they do-" he argued.

"Dale Hixon in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then...!" the old woman mimicked something disappearing. "Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us."

"Why don't we-" the Doctor began.

"Why don't we start with him?" a neighbour demanded, pointing at Kel. "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" Kel exclaimed, indignantly.

"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it," the man scoffed.

"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is just-" the Doctor attempted.

"You don't-what you just said, that's slander!" Kel snapped.

"I don't care what it is!"

"I think we need to just-"

"I want an apology off her!"

"Stop picking on him," the old woman said, crossly.

"Yeah, stop picking on me!"

"And stop pretending to be blind! It's evil!"

The neighbour glared at Kel. "I don't believe in evil."

"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van-" Kel said, angrily.

"Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying."

"Would you stop ganging up on me?!"

"Feeling guilty, are we?" the neighbour said, shrilly.

"Enough," the Priestess snapped, loudly.

She glared, sternly, at the group gathered around them, as if daring them to say a word. Everyone fell silent, immediately, and she crossed her arms over her chest. The Doctor looked on, proudly, as his Bondmate managed to shut the crowd up with a single glower.

 _You know, teacher Nikki is really sexy_ , the Doctor said, provocatively.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _Somehow, I do not believe that this is an appropriate time for your… insinuations._

She cleared her throat. "In the past six days, three of your children have been stolen," she guessed. "Unexpectedly, correct?"

The old woman nodded. She pointed at her shut mouth, deliberately. "Er… can I?"

The Priestess gestured for her to speak.

"Look around you..." the old woman said, roughly. "This was a safe street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?" she begged.

The Priestess dragged her teeth over her lower lip and caught something in her peripheral vision, spotting a small dark-skinned girl watching their interaction from the window of a house that the other dark-skinned woman had come out of, likely her mother. The mother noticed the Priestess' glance at the girl in the house and spun around to look up at the window. Her eyes widened and she hurried back inside.

* * *

The Priestess stood with her hands on her hips, watching as the Doctor sniffed around the front yard of the house with the mini football goal, like a sniffer-dog.

"Is it stronger?" the Priestess asked, curiously.

The Doctor pulled away from the grass, scrunching his nose. "Sort of… metal, yeah?"

The Priestess nodded.

The Doctor waved to the man staring at them with narrowed eyes from behind the living room curtains, as they left, proceeding down a narrow alleyway beside the house.

"Danny Edwards cycled around one border of this alleyway but he never appeared from the other," the Priestess said, slowly.

The Doctor flinched, as if recoiling from something. "Whoa, there it goes again!" he exclaimed, showing the Priestess the back of his hand. "Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand."

The Priestess furrowed her brow. "And that fragrance… burnt lacquer or plastic. Resembling a burnt fuse plug. There is residual energy in the locations where the children vanished. Whatever took them, it clearly required a large amount of energy to do this."

* * *

Once they had emerged from the alley, back in the close, the Priestess walked slowly as the Doctor proceeded ahead.

"Oh, how beautiful!" the Priestess sighed in appreciation.

The Doctor beamed, turning around. "Thanks! I'm experimenting with back-combing," he said, proudly, but then noticed that the Priestess had shown her admiration towards a cat, his face falling in disappointment. "Oh," he muttered.

The Priestess leaned down and began to pet the cat. "Do you recall that Scottish Fold you brought me, after you first began to travel?" she asked, fondly, remembering how, in front of him, she had pretended to find the cat distasteful, but could be found at night, curling close to it on their bed (especially when he had left her alone).

When the Doctor failed to reply, she turned around, questioningly. The cat meowed and the Doctor watched, uncomfortably, looking as though he had swallowed a lemon.

"What is it?" she demanded.

The Doctor shrugged. "I'm not really a cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it."

The Priestess rolled her eyes as the cat wandered over to an empty cardboard box. She followed it, carefully.

"Come here, darling," she cooed.

Who would've thought that stoic, no-nonsense Annika would lose all reason at the sight of a cat?

The Doctor averted his eyes and the cat climbed inside the box.

"Now, what do you want in there?" the Priestess mumbled to herself.

There was a whooshing sound, and the resulting meow from the cat echoed slightly as if fading into the distance. The Priestess frowned and peered inside the box, only to find that it was empty, the cat having disappeared into thin air.

"Doctor!" The Priestess called out, urgently, and the Doctor hurried over to her. She slid to her feet, quickly, as the smell of burning plastic hit her.

The Doctor recoiled. "Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" he exclaimed, waving the aroma away and picked up the empty cardboard box. "Iron residue. Blimey! That takes some doing!" He shook his head. He turned the box around, impressed. "Just to snatch a living organism out of space/time. This baby is just like," His voice lowered, roughly. "' _I'm 'avin' some of that_ ', I'm impressed," he mused.

The Priestess ran her hand through her hair, a somewhat nervous gesture from a normally even-tempered woman, and looked around at the empty street.

"It is able to harness vast reserves of ionic power," she guessed.

"We need to find the source of that power," the Doctor insisted, looking around as well. "Find the source and you will find... whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see." He whacked the Priestess on the shoulder, gesturing to his eyes. "Keep 'em peeled, Lewis."

The Priestess huffed in objection, watching as the Doctor walked off in one direction.

" _Who_ is Lewis?" she called out, nettled.

* * *

The Priestess strode along what appeared to be a dead end on her own, the neighbourhood eerily quiet but for a dog barking. Something crashed from inside one of the garages and the Priestess turned around, tensing. The initial crash was followed by several smaller ones as she approached the garage door.

"Hello?" she called out, roughly.

There was the sound of something metal rolling along the floor from within. The Priestess checked the latch, finding that it was locked, but recoiled almost immediately at the sound of another crash. She drew her sonic lipstick from her pocket, directing it at the lock and held it there, in the air, until the lock gave away with the slightest _click_.

She opened the garage door, slowly, hesitantly, unsure of what she would find on the other side. She looked inside and was immediately ambushed by what resembled a very violent tangle of wires, from which was emanating a strange buzzing sound.

The Priestess cursed under her breath. _Wherever you are, I suggest you come here promptly_. She told the Doctor, their bond thrumming a gentle but urgent dandelion-yellow.

The Doctor rounded the corner and came running towards her just as soon as he had heard her across the bond, and felt her apprehension like it was some chill that had left his hands shaking.

"Stay still!" he warned her, sliding his fingers across the small of her back.

He stepped in front of her, aiming his sonic screwdriver at the giant scribble, and it convulsed, collapsing into a small ball which fell into the Priestess' outstretched hands. The Doctor turned to her, wrapping his arms around her, sliding his fingers into her dark hair.

"You okay?" he asked, lowly, rubbing her back.

The Priestess cleared her throat and shook her head, shaking away the worry that had hit her in the stomach, unexpectedly. She hadn't been scared, as such, but not knowing what could be on the other side, what could have attacked her, it left her breath catching in her lungs. It made her feel trapped and suffocated, like she was still in those binds that wretched 'museum' curator had kept her in for decades, thrashing against the leather keeping her hands and legs down and biting back screams between the strip they had shoved in her mouth to act as a gag.

Helpless was an emotion she had been intent on never feeling again – this would only reinforce her determination to locate the creature which was stealing these children from their homes and put this neighbourhood right.

"'Tess, love?" the Doctor said, worriedly, smoothing back her hair, gently. She made a noise of confusion, looking up at him, as if she hadn't heard what he said. "Are you okay?"

The Priestess nodded, slowly. "Yes, I am… well."

The Doctor's brow furrowed, as if he didn't quite believe her, but he remained silent, kissing her hairline fiercely, but quickly. They returned their attention to the object that the Priestess was holding in her hand.

"I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is."

The Priestess frowned, looking up at him, bemused. "What is a fiver?"

The Doctor tugged on the ends of her hair, fondly. "Five pounds, darling."

"Oh," the Priestess murmured.

The Doctor poked it with the sonic screwdriver. "I haven't got the foggiest," he sighed, frustrated.

The Priestess grimaced. "Inanimate, by sight. Animated solely by energy. I imagine the very same energy that is absconding with the children."

The Doctor snatched it from her hands, throwing it up and down, his face delighted. "That is so dinky! The Go-Anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket... makes friends, impresses the boss... breaks the ice at parties..." He pocketed it, making the Priestess laugh, lightly, as they moved off back to the TARDIS.

* * *

The Doctor placed the strange object on the TARDIS console for analysing.

"Oh, hi ho, here we go. Let's have a look," he muttered, as the two watched the computer screen, reading the Gallifreyan printed on it.

"Get out of here..." the Doctor breathed, shook his head.

The Priestess furrowed her brow in confusion, and bit her lip, eyeing the object with anxiety, as the Doctor slipped a pencil from his pocket and grasped the object with his other hand. He used the eraser at the end of the pencil to rub out part of the object.

"It is!" he crowed, blowing away the shards that had landed on his palm. "It's graphite! Basically the same material as an HB pencil."

"I was attacked by… pencil scratchings?" the Priestess said, bemused.

The Doctor's lips twitched. "Scribble creature." He sniffed it and then shoved it under her nose so that she could as well. "Brought into being with ionic energy."

"This creature… it is able to create objects, as well as take them. But why… a creature made of pencil scratchings?" the Priestess wondered out loud. "Could it be a mistake? You scratch pencil markings out in this manner when you make an error and you wish to erase that error. Like a piece of writing… or…" Her eyes dawned with realisation. "A drawing from a child." The Doctor looked at her. "The creature is in the street," she said, knowingly.

The Doctor shrugged. "Probably."

"The girl," the Priestess said, determinedly.

"Of COURSE!" the Doctor exclaimed, his eyes brightening. Then, his face fell and he frowned in confusion. "...What girl?"

The Priestess rolled her eyes. "Do you ever pay attention?" she asked, crossly. She shook her head (because a rant at the Doctor's short attention span would take days to cover and they simply didn't have the time now). "There was something… _odd_ about her, just staring at us from the window. Even her own mother looked afraid of her." She gritted her teeth as unwanted memories resurfaced. "Or perhaps… afraid _for_ her."

The Doctor leaned in and brushed a dark lock away from the curve of her cheek. "Are you deducting?" he asked, playfully.

The Priestess sniffed but her eyes shone with amusement. "I believe so."

"Copper's hunch?" the Doctor waggled his eyebrows.

"May I have your permission to look into it," she looked at him through her eyelashes. "Sarge?"

* * *

The Doctor rang the doorbell and the two waited on the front porch, as Trish took her time coming to the door. They heard the sound of footsteps land just behind the door, and guessed that Trish was considering allowing them entrance. After nothing happened, the Doctor rapped on the letter box just in case, and Trish opened the door. The Doctor gave her a genial smile, while the Time Lady made sure to keep her face warm.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is the Priestess. Can we see your daughter?" the Doctor asked, gently.

Trish's eyes widened. "No! You can't," she said, adamantly.

"Okay!" the Doctor beamed, easily. "Bye."

He tugged the Priestess away, much to her confusion and displeasure, walking away in silence, waiting, only to hear Trish call out for them.

"Why?" she asked, suspiciously.

The two turned in unison, an action made from centuries of living in each other's minds.

"Why do you want to see Chloe?"

"Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I just thought," the Priestess glared and the Doctor floundered. "Well, _we_ thought-" he amended. "-that she might like to give us a hand."

"I apologise if we are inconveniencing you," the Priestess said, gently.

"Yeah, sorry," the Doctor shrugged. "We'll let you get on with things. On your own. Bye again!"

They turned and walked away again, but Trish, for some reason, did not close the door. And after a few moments, she called out for them again.

"Wait!" Trish bit her lip as the Doctor and the Priestess turned once more, to find her face helpless, vulnerable and panic-stricken, as if she had been running her hands through her hair and biting her nails and rubbing her arms for days with no relief.

"Can you help her?

The Doctor smiled.

"Yes, we can."

* * *

Inside Trish's sitting room, the TV blared footage of the Olympic Torch Bearer.

" _The Torch Bearer is running up towards the mall, which I can tell you is..._ "

The Priestess sat herself down on the sofa while the Doctor flung his coat down next to her.

Trish twisted her hands together. It felt shameful to talk badly of her daughter to complete strangers like this, but what other option did she have?

"She stays in her room, most of the time. I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone," she murmured.

"And her father?" the Priestess asked, cautiously.

She knew better than most, where a father could not be seen beside his wife or child, he was a controversial topic.

Trish shook her head. "Chloe's dad died a year ago," she said, blankly.

The Priestess gathered from her lack of emotion that Trish was hardly upset about that, but she offered her condolences nonetheless (the Doctor had told her it was practically a requirement when learning of someone's death).

"I am sorry," she said, evenly.

Trish shook her head. "You wouldn't be if you'd known him," she scoffed, roughly.

The Priestess pursed her lips. _Yes, I believe that_.

That sharp, stinging hurt in Trish's eyes, coupled with the way she curled in on herself as if hiding from the world, told her everything she needed to know.

Disgust curdled in her stomach.

"Well!" the Doctor said, brightly, ignoring the thick emotion that hung in the air. "Let's go and say hi!"

Trish bit her lip, unsure of letting strangers meet her daughter so easily. "I should check on her first... she might be asleep," she said, hesitantly.

The Doctor lowered his voice, gently. "Why are you afraid of her, Trish?"

Trish cleared her throat. "I want you to know before you see her that's she's really a great kid."

"I'm sure she is," the Doctor replied, easily.

"She's never been in trouble at school... you should see her report from last year. As and Bs." Trish smiled at the Priestess, proudly, who smiled back, ignoring the ache in her hearts as she remembered what it felt like to be that proud mother.

"Would it trouble you if I used your facilities?" she asked, quietly.

Trish nodded and pointed to a door in the hallway, the Doctor watching her closely as the Priestess left the room.

"She's in the choir..." Trish continued.

The Priestess slipped up the staircase, unnoticed by Trish, whose voice carried.

"She's singing in an old folks home. Any mum would be proud," Trish sighed. "You know... I want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor. Because right now, she's not herself."

* * *

The Priestess emerged onto the landing upstairs. A shadow blocked out the light from the crack beneath Chloe's bedroom door, and she could hear someone moving inside the room. She slipped into a nearby airing cupboard, closing the ventilated doors on herself, and watched Chloe leave her room through the ajar door and heard her footsteps on the stairs. She cautiously crept out of the airing cupboard, closing the doors as quietly as she could behind her. She approached Chloe's bedroom and pushed the door open, looks inside and observing the hundreds of drawings that were tacked onto the walls, her eyes passing over one with a small boy frowning.

She crept further inside, looking around. The wardrobe doors rattled and the Priestess jerked back out of shock, causing her to knock a pencil holder onto the floor. She quickly picked them up and placed the holder back onto the desk. Her gaze was drawn to that same drawing of a little boy, now baring his teeth at her where he had been merely frowning a few moments ago.

* * *

The Doctor popped his head around the corner, looking through the dining room into the kitchen.

"All right, there?" he asked the small girl drinking from a bottle of milk in the fridge, cheerfully.

The Doctor walked into the kitchen, Trish behind him. He settled himself against a table as Chloe replaced the milk and closed the fridge door.

"I'm the Doctor."

Chloe faced him, expressionless. "I'm Chloe Webber," she said, dully, as if in a trance.

"How're you doing, Chloe Webber?" the Doctor asked, beaming.

"I'm busy," Chloe said, sharply. "I'm making something. Aren't I, mum?" She looked at her mother, grimly.

"And like I said, she's not been sleeping," Trish said, nervously, wringing her hands.

"But you've been drawing, though," The Doctor pointed out. "I'm rubbish. Stick men are about my limit. Can do this, though..." He made the 'live long and prosper' sign from Star Trek, but Chloe didn't react. "Can you do that?"

Trish nodded at Chloe, encouraging her to answer.

"They don't stop moaning," Chloe whispered.

Trish's eyes widened. "Chloe..."

"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning."

The Doctor lowered his hand. "Who doesn't?" he asked, quietly.

"We can be together." Chloe looked at him, darkly.

Trish moved towards Chloe, reaching out her hand. "Sweetheart-" she began.

"Don't touch me, mum," Chloe said, sharply.

Trish stopped in her tracks, hurt contorting her face, and she let her hand fall back to her side. She and the Doctor glanced at one another.

* * *

Back in Chloe's bedroom, the Priestess flinched back once more at the sound of the wardrobe doors rattling again. After a tense glance around the room, she approached the wardrobe slowly, steeling herself, and then she opens the doors slowly, peering inside. A mere wind was rustling the clothes, which she parted to see the back of the wardrobe. A grim, cruel red light flooded the wardrobe and shone right onto her face. On the back of the wardrobe, a huge picture of a bearded man whose face was contorted with fury was tacked on, the red light gleaming from his glowing red eyes.

 _Of course._

"I'm coming..." Chloe's father said, threateningly.

* * *

"I'm busy... Doctor." Chloe scowled, leaving.

"Oh, come on, Chloe! Don't be a spoil sport!" the Doctor called out, disappointed, following her back into the hallway. "What's the big project? I'm dying to know! What're you making up there?"

 _Theta, we may have a problem._

The Doctor frowned. _What's wrong?_

 _I heard a sound, coming from the wardrobe. There is a sketch of Chloe's father fastened onto the wall at the back of the wardrobe. His eyes… they were red and glowing and I swear I heard his voice._

 _I'll come up now,_ the Doctor said, quickly.

 _No, we must know what she knows,_ the Priestess said, adamantly. _Finish your interrogation with the child and then come. I am able to protect myself._

He could hear the undertone of concern in her words.

 _Like hell,_ the Doctor growled.

The Doctor lurched forwards and sprinted up the stairs, Trish and Chloe following.

* * *

The Priestess was staring into the wardrobe as though transfixed when the Doctor ran into the room.

"I'm coming to hurt you..."

The Doctor slammed the wardrobe doors shut without so much as a glance at the inside, turning to her immediately and grasping her by the arms. His eyes ran over her until he was certain that she was safe and unharmed, physically and emotionally, and then he pulled away.

She stared at him, defiantly. "Look at it," she demanded.

"No," the Doctor said, firmly, walking away to examine the drawings on the wall, slipping his glasses on.

"What the hell was that?" Trish snapped.

"A drawing," the Priestess said, grimly. "The face of a man."

Trish frowned. "What face?" she asked, worriedly.

She tried to open the doors but the Priestess formed a blockade up against them, stopping her.

"I would suggest otherwise," the Priestess said, sharply.

Trish rounded on Chloe. "What've you been drawing?" she demanded.

"I'm drew him yesterday," Chloe replied, impassively.

"Who?" Trish asked, bemused.

"Dad."

Trish's eyes widened and she grimaced. "Your dad?" she wondered out loud. "But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?" she asked, concerned.

Chloe shrugged. "I dream about him, staring at me."

"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?" Trish shook her head in disbelief.

"We need to stay together," Chloe said, determinedly.

Trish nodded. "Yes, we do."

Chloe shook her head. "No. Not you. Us."

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look.

"We need to stay together. And then it'll be all right."

Trish went over to her, putting her hands on her daughter's cheeks, and Chloe flinched.

The Priestess pursed her lips. "Trish, the drawings, have you seen what Chloe's drawings have the ability to do?" she asked, carefully.

Trish tensed and her face hardened. "Who gave you permission to come into her room?" she asked, coldly. "Get out of my house."

"Tell us about the drawings, Chloe," the Doctor urged, gently.

"I don't wanna here anymore of this." Trish shook her head, unwilling to listen.

"The drawing of her father, I heard a voice. He spoke," the Priestess said, sharply.

Trish stared at her in incomprehension. "He's dead. And these, they're kids' pictures. Now get out!" she shouted.

"Chloe has a power. And it is not one she should have, but she used it to take Danny Edwards. Dale Hicks… her power is what is carrying off the children. You can pay no heed to it if you would prefer, but it is _your_ daughter and all the other children in this neighbourhood that will be the victim if you do not listen to us," the Priestess said, firmly.

Trish shook her head. "Get out."

"Have you seen those drawings move?" the Priestess demanded.

Trish scoffed, derisively. "I haven't seen anything."

"Yes, you have," the Doctor said, quietly. "Out of the corner of your eye."

Trish rounded on him. "No."

"And you dismissed it, because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain?" the Doctor guessed, moving over to her. "You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever ag-"

"She's a child-" Trish insisted.

"And you are terrified of her," the Priestess interjected. "Because there is no one to seek help from, because who would believe what you see in your peripheral vision. No one. Except us," she said, lowering her voice so that it was smooth and reassuring, but still solid.

Trish looked between the two Time Lords, her eyes wetting with tears.

"Who are you?" she asked, roughly.

"We're help," the Doctor said, determinedly.

* * *

 **A/N** : So, I hope you liked the chapter. I know, it probably wasn't cool that I cut Rose out of the episode, but I didn't feel like this was one where she lent anything really special to the plot, so it was an easy one to cut. Plus, I thought, in line with her character development in the last chapter, it would be better for her to spend more time with her mother. But I hope it was good with just the Doctor and the Priestess; they both work well off each other, so I thought it would be interesting to see their dynamic just on their own. Not to mention, considering this is both an abusive father and child-in-danger episode, it will hit the Doctor and the Priestess differently than it would have done if Rose was with them, considering all they've lost.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much! Yeah, I frankly don't get the point of Love and Monsters except to show what happens to people the Doctor and his companion leaves behind. No, Martha is most definitely a friend to Tess, in a very difficult time in her life.

 _NaruhinaFan13149_ : Aww, thank you so much!


	23. Fear Her: Wicked Little Things

**A/N** : I honestly don't have much to say about this chapter.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Angst.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 23**

 **Fear Her: Wicked Little Things**

" _Have you seen those drawings move?" the Priestess demanded._

 _Trish scoffed, derisively. "I haven't seen anything."_

" _Yes, you have," the Doctor said, quietly. "Out of the corner of your eye."_

 _Trish rounded on him. "No."_

" _And you dismissed it, because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain?" the Doctor guessed, moving over to her. "You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever ag-"_

" _She's a child-" Trish insisted._

" _And you are terrified of her," the Priestess interjected. "Because there is no one to seek help from, because who would believe what you see in your peripheral vision. No one. Except us," she said, lowering her voice so that it was smooth and reassuring, but still solid._

 _Trish looked between the two Bondmates, her eyes wetting with tears._

" _Who are you?" she asked, roughly._

" _We're help," the Doctor said, determinedly._

* * *

Back in the kitchen, the Doctor swept a jar of marmalade off the worktop, unscrewed the lid, dipped his fingers into it and started sucking the jam off. The Priestess closed her eyes, as if to pray for patience, and gave him such a withering look that the Doctor, looking for all the world like a naughty schoolboy caught red-handed, glanced at Trish who was just staring at him, expressionlessly. He meekly replaced the lid and pushed the jar behind him, shamefaced.

"Those pictures are alive. She draws individuals and they find themselves in her pictures," the Priestess mused.

"Ionic energy," the Doctor said, knowingly. "Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kid of holding-pen made up of ionic power."

"And her father in the wardrobe?" the Priestess said, dryly.

Trish scowled. "How many times do I have to tell you? He's dead," she said, sternly.

"Well, for a dead man, he makes his presence known quite well," the Priestess retorted.

"If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things..." the Doctor pondered. He suddenly shivered violently, making the Priestess flinch away and send him a withering look. "Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world..."

"She always got the worst of it when he was alive," Trish whispered, looking away in chagrin.

"But how is a twelve-year-old child able to do this?" the Priestess pushed.

The Doctor and her exchanged a meaningful look.

"Let's find out," he said, simply, striding off, the Priestess and Trish following.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Trish entered Chloe's bedroom, where the girl was sitting cross-legged on the bed. The Doctor stood before her, looking down at her, who said nothing, but did the 'live long and prosper' sign.

"Nice one," the Doctor said, approvingly.

He knelt in front of her, cradling her head in his hands, fingers pressed against her temples. Her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment before closing. He closed his own eyes before Chloe suddenly fell backwards onto the bed.

"There we go..." the Doctor murmured.

Trish made to intercept them, her face tightening with concern. "I can't let him do this-" she protested.

The Priestess gripped her by the forearm and pulled her back. "Shh, it is alright. Trust him, he will not harm her."

The Doctor straightened, something grim in his normally, cheerful eyes. "Now we can talk."

When Chloe spoke, her voice came out as a strange whisper, clearly not coming from her.

"I want Chloe. Wake her up. I want Chloe," it rasped.

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded.

"I want Chloe Webber!" it exclaimed, desperately.

"What've you done to my little girl?" Trish cried out.

"Doctor?" The Priestess took a step forward in concern.

The Doctor walked slowly around the bed, all the while looking down at Chloe.

"I'm speaking to you. The entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor said, grimly.

"I don't care about shadows or parleys."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "So, what do you care about?"

"I want my friends," Chloe growled.

The Doctor knelt by her. "You're lonely, I know," he said, soothingly. "Identify yourself."

"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair. And I hate it!"

Chloe's eyes snapped open.

The Priestess took another step forward.

"Name yourself!" she demanded.

"Isolus."

The Priestess closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose in dread.

"You're Isolus. Of course." The Doctor shook his head.

"Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family," Chloe – or the Isolus, rather – began to draw on a piece of paper next to her on the bed whilst speaking.

Trish looked at the drawing, stunned. "What's that?"

The drawings began to take shape.

"The Isolus Mother, drifting in Deep Space," the Priestess explained, lowly. "She jettisons millions of fledgling spores, her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they are cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, that is what sustains them. They need to be together. They cannot be alone."

"Our journey is long," the Isolus agreed.

"The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up," the Doctor continued.

Trish frowned, mulling over what the two had said. "But don't they get bored… thousands and thousands of years all alone."

"We play," the Isolus croaked.

"You... play?" Trish furrowed her brow.

The Doctor sat beside Chloe (the Isolus) on the bed, carefully. "Mm. While they travel, they play games. They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play," he explained. "Like in-flight entertainment." He shrugged. "Helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost."

The Priestess looked at Chloe, concerned. "Why did you come to Earth?" she asked, curiously.

"We were too close," the Isolus murmured, ripping the piece of paper she was drawing on off the pad and starting anew.

The Doctor looked at the drawing, his eyes narrowing. "That's a solar flare from your sun. Would've made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods," he mused.

"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there. And I cannot reach them. So alone," the Isolus whispered.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Your pod crashed... where is it?"

"My pod was drawn to heat… and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She needed me. And I her."

The Priestess' eyes softened. She approached Chloe and began to smooth back her hair, gently.

"You empathised with her. You wished to be with her because she was lonely as you were," she said, comfortingly.

"I want my family. It's not fair."

Trish watched on, her heart clenching from the unblushing pain in what was _her_ daughter's voice.

"I understand. You want to create a family," the Priestess soothed. "But you cannot remain in this child. It is wrong. You cannot steal any more friends for yourself." She insisted, gently.

"I am alone."

There was another thump from the wardrobe, causing Trish to gasp and flinch back.

"I'm coming to hurt you," the voice that came from the wardrobe was dark and threatening.

Chloe started to shake and tremble in fear, although her face remained impassive, clearly a war going on inside her. There was another thump on the door of the wardrobe.

"I'm coming."

The Doctor's eyes snapped to Trish. "Trish, how do you calm her?" he demanded.

Chloe's body began to jerk, as though she was having a seizure. Trish ran towards her, not concentrating on what the Doctor had just said her.

"What?!"

"When she has nightmares, what do you do?" the Priestess asked, quickly.

"I... I..." Trish stammered, unable to focus on anything but her daughter's seizing body.

"What do you do?" the Doctor asked, urgently.

Trish licked her lips. "I sing to her."

"Then start singing," the Doctor ordered, motioning for Trish to take his place next to Chloe.

"Chloe... I'm coming."

" _Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he..._ " Trish sang.

"Chloe... Chloe..."

The banging and thumping on the door continued. The Doctor and the Priestess both looked over at it, whilst Trish stroked Chloe's hair, trying to sooth her.

"Chloe... Chloe..."

" _Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be._ "

The banging and the voice eventually faded.

" _Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be_."

Chloe's limbs slackened with sleep.

"He came to her because she was lonely..." Trish sobbed. "Chloe, I'm sorry..."

She buried her head in her little girl's shoulder, arms around her, sobbing.

* * *

Trish strode into the sitting room and started gathering up all the pencils that are lying around, in an attempt to keep her hands busy before they started to shake.

"Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper. When he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free," Trish whispered.

The Priestess handed her a bunch of pencils.

"I thought it was over," Trish finished, mournfully.

"Unfortunately, it is never over," the Priestess said, gently.

Trish looked at the woman and saw a similar deadened look in her own eyes, one that she saw when she looked at herself in the mirror. Whoever this woman was, it was clear she had been hurt. But when she saw the Doctor look at her with such raw concern, she didn't think it was him who had hurt her.

"It isn't, is it?" Trish swallowed hard.

"Did you ever speak to her about it?" the Priestess asked, curiously.

"I didn't want to," Trish confessed.

The Priestess sat beside her. "I understand why you did not want to. Yes, Chloe was a victim, but so were you. Nevertheless, perhaps that is why Chloe believes she is alone. She has all these memories and dreams of a horrible man, but she does not believe she can come to you with her concerns. For a child, recovering from such a threat, reassurance is necessary," she said, gently, so as to not cause offence.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Her and the Isolus... two lonely kids who need each other."

The Priestess looked at him then, remembering all the times he had held her as a child, comforting her after a nightmare about the man who tormented her, soothing her after harsh words from her father, all the promises he had made to her of a better, kinder life, a life with him – what would she have been without him?

The Doctor, himself, had the sudden urge to take his Bondmate into his arms and kiss her as hard and for as long as it took to forget the man who had, perhaps, been the biological reason she existed today, but had done nothing to deserve the name 'father'.

"And it will not stop. It will continue to pull children in," the Priestess said, mournfully.

"It's desperate to be loved," the Doctor agreed. "It's used to a pretty big family."

Trish looked up from her hands, her eyes red. "How big?"

"Say around... four billion?" the Doctor guessed, which drew a stunned silence from Trish, who looked back down at her hands.

The Priestess looked at the television.

" _The queues started a week ago for those desperate enough to be inside, although lots of them expected a capacity crowd of eighty thousand..._ _For this evening's opening ceremony. I have to say there's been..._ "

* * *

The Doctor shrugged into his coat as he and the Priestess leave Trish's house.

"We need that pod," the Doctor said, firmly.

"If it has been drawing in heat since it collided, that should maintain it in an adequate state to launch," the Priestess mused, spotting Chloe watching them through her bedroom window.

"It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus." The Doctor nodded to himself.

Once they reached the TARDIS, they quickly made their way over to the console.

"We can scan for the same trace we picked up from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit."

The Doctor fumbled with some device, putting it together, while the Priestess sat primly in the chair next to the console.

"This girl is affecting you," the Priestess said, knowingly, taking in his morose posture.

The Doctor shrugged. "I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own."

"By choice, not out of necessity," the Priestess corrected, with no small amount of bitterness.

The Doctor paused. "Do we need to talk about this?"

"I am not sure, do we?" the Priestess challenged.

The Doctor sighed, frustrated. "Can you please hand me the…" He gestured to the object that was in her left hand, which she did with attitude. "Don't tell me you don't empathise."

"With Chloe? Very much so. With the Isolus? I understand loneliness better than most." The Priestess did not intend for that to come out as a taunt against the Doctor, but if he took it that way, she would not apologise for it (sometimes, just _sometimes_ , she had to win against him). "But I cannot condone stealing innocent children to satisfy that loneliness."

"It's a child, 'Tess!" the Doctor retorted, almost in disappointed, blowing on the device and examining it. "That's why it went to Chloe, two lonely mixed up kids."

"Yes, and it is stealing other children from their parents," the Priestess said, sharply.

"It's scared!" the Doctor objected. "Come on, you were a kid once. Binary dot," he instructed.

The Priestess handed him the binary dot. "Yes, and I was a lonely child, but I never attempted to hold to ransom other children."

"I need gum," the Doctor said, disappearing off into the TARDIS to collect a wad of gum. "You could try and understand them?" he insisted.

"I could never steal other individuals' children to satisfy my own loneliness. How could I possibly advocate that for someone else?" the Priestess said, blithely. "As a woman who has lost three children that she loved dearly, I would never wish that pain and grief and distress on anyone else."

The Doctor slammed his hands down onto the console, fed-up with her passive-aggressiveness. "They were _my_ children too, 'Tess," he growled.

The Priestess cocked her head. "I never said they were not."

"No, but you're acting like it," the Doctor accused.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "If you have something to say to me, just say it. Don't dodge the issue."

The Priestess' lip curled. "You would not endure it," she said, coldly.

"Oh, yeah? Try me," the Doctor challenged, coldly, the anger in him curdling in his stomach.

"Do you even think of them?" the Priestess asked, suddenly, her voice raw with a grief that couldn't be explained. "I miss them. All the time I miss them. It does not come and go. It is constant. All the time," she hissed. "But you? Have you even thought about them once? Or did you put them away as easily as you used to put me away?" she spat.

The Doctor would've preferred if she had simply reached out and slapped him across the face – it would've hurt less.

 _I told you, you would not endure it_ , she thinks.

"Is that what you think?" the Doctor asked, offended, hurt. "That I don't think about them? That _I put you away_?"

The Priestess turned around to walk away, but the Doctor gripped her forearm and forcibly turned her back, searching her eyes for something that he couldn't find in her mind, because, alas, she had closed herself to him (she was beginning to do that a lot; there was once a time that the moment they were within reach of each other, they could sink into each other's minds as easy as was coming home).

The Priestess took a step forward, her mouth thinning into a cold line. "You do not want to have this conversation with me right now," she threatened through gritted teeth, before pulling her arm out of his grasp, roughly.

She stepped away from him and strode over to the railing surrounding the console, curling her hands around the metal. The Doctor wanted to reach for her, take her into his arms, and soothe all her hurts, but telling by the resistance in her shoulders, she wouldn't be so accommodating to his touch.

He cleared his throat. "I think we're there!"

The Priestess turned around, her features devoid of all emotion – no hurt echoing on her face; it was as if nothing had happened between them (and wasn't that just the story of their entire relationship?)

"Fear. Loneliness. They're the big ones, 'Tess," the Doctor began, gently. "Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy."

The Priestess didn't say anything, clearly mulling over their last exchange without saying any of her resentment out loud, but the Doctor carried on oblivious, pulling levers and pressing buttons on the console.

"There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe," the Doctor indicated to the screen. "Warp drive... wormhole refractors..."

The Priestess frowned at the screen, gesturing with her hand something.

"You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold." The Doctor noticed the Priestess' outstretched hand and took it, shyly, grinning, raising it up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.

The Priestess didn't outwardly show any different emotion other than her perpetual stoicism, but he noticed the lines around her mouth soften, as if she wanted to smile, but she was too prideful to do so.

He considered that a win.

"I was gesturing towards something," the Priestess corrected, dryly.

The Doctor looked at the computer screen where she was pointing, only to see a flashing white light on a map of the neighbourhood indicating the whereabouts of the pod.

"It's the pod!" the Doctor crowed, excitedly. "It is in the street! Everything's coming up Doctor!"

He scooted off towards the doors, the Priestess following at a much slower pace. Once they had emerged from the TARDIS, the Doctor shut the door behind them.

"Okay. It's about two inches across. Dull grey, like a gull's egg. Very light," the Doctor said, briskly.

"Yes, I am aware," the Priestess drawled, almost condescendingly. "The pod requires heat-"

A crash from behind and a flare of panic from his end of their bond caused her to turn, only to find the device that she and the Doctor had just constructed lying shattered on the floor, but the Doctor – and the TARDIS behind him – peculiarly missing.

Omega, it was as if someone had hollowed out her chest cavity completely – that was the only way to explain how empty she felt.

The bond thinned, leaving her alone in her own mind, none of that mirth and wit she had she had come to think of in the same breath as the Doctor's mind.

"Doctor?" she called out, in a small voice.

* * *

The Priestess knocked on the door of Trish's house, frantically. Trish opened the door and pushed past her, bounding up the stairs.

"It's okay!" Trish called out after her, worriedly. "I've taken all the pencils off her!"

The Priestess didn't care much to listen and burst into Chloe's bedroom. She crossed the room over to the desk without much courtesy, and swept away the paper that Chloe had been drawing on, only to see that the etching was of the TARDIS and the Doctor.

"Leave me alone! I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!" the Isolus said, shrilly.

"Return him," the Priestess said, grimly. "Now."

"No," the Isolus said, defiantly.

The Priestess turned away for a second, nails clawing into her hair, and suddenly she whirled on her feet, rounding on the girl, and seized her by the shoulders, shaking her.

"Do you not understand what you have done? We would have helped you," she hissed, viciously. "We are still able to, now, _return him_!" she snapped.

The Isolus struggled. "Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!" she rasped, angrily.

The Priestess looked down at the hands that had actually put themselves on a child, pulling away, ashamed, her features softening, as Trish looked on.

"I know," she whispered. "I know." She looked at Trish. "I should not have done that, to your child. It was not… civilised or well-mannered… of me. I apologise, sincerely," she said, regretfully, her face stricken.

Trish didn't know what to say to that. No mother could just stand by and watch their own child be assaulted by a stranger (no matter how helpful) but she had done that herself. Did she have the right to forgive a woman who had reached out to help them and had lost her husband (or lover, she thought, at the very least, by the way they looked at each other) in an attempt to help her daughter? But it was her daughter and whether she liked it or not, the Priestess had manhandled her daughter. A good mother would have thrown her out immediately, but years of not killing that monster where he stood after he put his hands on her and her baby girl, did that make her a good mother? She loved her daughter with everything she had, but she had failed her. How could she stare this woman down and pardon her offence when she had been guilty of worse towards her own daughter?

"Thank you for your apology," she replied, quietly, but she couldn't accept the apology completely (the woman had mistreated her only daughter, after all).

The Priestess nodded, gratefully, and returned her attention to the drawing she had seized from the Isolus.

"Doctor, I will free you. I will find the pod," the Priestess vowed. She turned to Trish. "Do not leave her alone, come what may."

She strode out of the room.

" _... the Torch Bearer getting even closer to the Olympic Stadium... before turning East along the embankment._ "

* * *

Kel was smoothing down the road outside, with the palm of his hand, just as the Priestess exited the house.

"Heat," she muttered to herself. "They travel on heat."

"Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom," Kel commented, proudly.

Something pulled at the Priestess and she hurried to him.

"Not a bump or a lump."

The Priestess knelt beside him. "Kel, was there anything in this street recently that would have produced a large amount of heat?"

"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this. Beautiful. So, you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one!" Kel commented, seemingly haven't heard her.

The Priestess scowled. "Before you begin to decipher this great mystery, I require you to look back on six days ago."

"Six days..." Kel frowned, his eyes dawning with remembrance. "When I was laying this the first time round!" he informed her.

The Priestess' eyes widened. "You sealed this pothole for the first time?" she asked, lowly.

Kel nodded. "Yep, sure did!"

"And you sealed it with tar, hot, fresh tar?" the Priestess pushed.

Kel nodded again. "Blended to a secret council recipe."

Without another word, the Priestess stood and ran to the van like something was chasing her.

"Ah-ah! I don't keep it in the van!" Kel stammered.

The Priestess wrenched open the doors.

"Ay, that's a council van. Out," Kel ordered, striding over to her.

The Priestess ignored him and climbed inside, picking up an axe, which made her smile, smugly, hopping out of the van again.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait," Kel said, anxiously. "You just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back." She ignored him and continued back to the pothole. "No, don't, wait, put the axe back in the van, that's my van, gimme the axe," he said, urgently.

The Priestess swung the axe over her head, ready to bring it down hard on the road.

"No! Wait! No!" Kel protested, loudly.

The Priestess brought the axe crashing down onto the road, slicing gruesomely through the tarmac.

"No! You… stop!" Kel yelled, bewildered by her lunacy.

The Priestess hacked at the road again, as no force in this universe could stop her now.

"You just took a council axe, from a council van, and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!" Kel exclaimed, outraged.

The Priestess dropped the axe aside and dug around the hole she had just made, ignoring the way the filth crawled up her arms, and finally found the pod.

"It searched for the most scorching location in the street. Your tar," the Priestess laughed in delight.

Kel frowned at the small thing in the Priestess' hands. "What is it?!" he asked, curiously.

"It is a spaceship!" the Priestess explained, examining it carefully.

* * *

The Priestess burst in through the front door of Trish's house.

"I found the ship," she told Trish, the woman joining her in the sitting room. She saw that Trish was alone. "I told you not to leave her alone." She said, sharply.

" _My God. Er, what's going on here?_ "

The Priestess and Trish turned to the TV, where it showed a news report of the crowds inside the stadium had vanished, leaving it deserted. Just then, Kel appeared at the living room door.

"I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging up-" Kel began to snap.

The Priestess scowled and pointed at the television. "Be silent and watch!"

" _The crowd has vanished! Er… um... they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Er... um... right in front of my eyes. Um... it's impossible! Bob, can we join you, um, in the box?_ "

The footage cut to an empty box.

" _Bob? Not you too, Bob?_ "

"The stadium will not be enough," the Priestess murmured in dread. "The Isolus has four billion brothers and sisters."

The Priestess stormed up to Chloe's bedroom door, in one hand holding onto the axe, Trish behind her. When the Priestess tried the handle, she found something obstructing the door.

"Chloe?" Trish called out, worriedly.

"Chloe, this is the Priestess!" the Priestess said, urgently. "Open the door!"

There was no answer from the other end.

"I located your ship! We can send you home!"

"Chloe?!" Trish shouted, desperately.

"Open the door, Chloe!" the Priestess barked.

But, still, the door didn't open.

The Priestess turned to Trish. "Move away," she instructed, gesturing to the axe which she held with both hands.

She swung the axe and brought it down crashing on the door. Again and again, she did this, splintering the wood. Once she had carved out a large enough hold in the door to fit her arm through, the Priestess knocked the chair out of the way and opened the door. She and Trish ran in to find Chloe drawing something, desperately.

"Chloe!" the Priestess called out, urgently.

"I'm coming to hurt you... I'm coming..."

"I have to stop her," the Priestess gritted out.

She started forward but the wardrobe doors rattled particularly violently and she tensed, stepping back.

"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out," the Isolus warned. "We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair."

The Priestess held out the pod to her. "I have your ship," she said, pointedly.

"The pod is dead," the Isolus shrugged off.

"It only needs heat," the Priestess insisted.

The Isolus shook Chloe's head. "It needs more than heat."

"What-" the Priestess' eyes dawned with realisation. "Love. Oh, dear, it needs love."

The Priestess turned her attention to the television, which was now showing the athlete running along the road with the Torch.

" _It's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon. It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of love._ _So let's have a look from the helicopter - there we go, the torch running..._ "

"The torch," the Priestess mused. She turned to Trish. "I understand how to charge the spaceship."

The Priestess raced back down the staircase and out of the house.

" _... past Dame Kelly Holmes Close._ "

The Priestess loped down the close, where there was a crowd of people congregated at the end, cheering as the torch bearer passed by. She joined them, pushing past people until she reached the front, but a policeman stopped her before she could get any further.

"Sorry, you'll have to watch from here," he told her, apologetically.

"I have to be closer," she protested.

"No way!" The policeman shook his head.

The Priestess gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to thump him good. "I'm in a position to stop this from happening!" she told him, harshly.

As the torch bearer passed her by, the pod began to chirp.

The Priestess leaned down. "You felt it, did you not?" she asked, quietly.

She backed out of the crowd and then brought her cupped hands close to her mouth, whispering to the pod.

"There it is," the Priestess murmured. "Love."

She threw it into the air and it was drawn straight to the torch. The torch bearer staggered slightly as it fell into the flames, but he dismissed it. The Priestess held a hand to one of her hearts, sighing with badly-contained relief.

* * *

The Priestess laughed in delight.

"You did it!" Kel exclaimed. His face contorted with confusion. "What was it you did?"

The Priestess couldn't help but laugh again.

* * *

All the missing children materialised out of thin air, in the exact same spots from which they disappeared. A little boy ran to his mother, who sobbed in relief, hugging her.

"Mummy!"

The Priestess smiled, with no small amount of grief, as another girl ran to her mother.

"Oh, Jane!"

She was truly thrilled to see all the children reunited, but there was something preventing her from truly enjoying their relief. On one hand, watching these children run into their mothers' arms, who were able to hold them close and soothe their tears, well, it just reminded her of all that she had lost. Three children, she had bled and brought into this world, against all odds, against so many cruel words, and now, none of them were left to her.

The Other truly did like his irony.

And the other hand, the Doctor had still not returned. His blinding grin, which habitually softened the edges of the hollow that her children's deaths had waked inside of her, was still missing. Perhaps she had done something wrong; perhaps the Isolus had been displeased at her interference; there had to be some reason why everyone but the Doctor had returned to the street.

She watched the happy families sadly, reminiscing all that she had lost, which was why she jolted when the old woman from earlier touched her arm.

"I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you, darling!" she gushed, kissing the Priestess' cheek with a withered mouth, making the Priestess smile. "And thank that man for me too!"

She walked away, but the reminder of the Doctor she had invoked made the Priestess' smile fall. The Priestess scanned the street once more, with growing anxiety.

"Where is he?" the Priestess asked herself, quietly. "He should be here." She watched the happy children playing on the street. "All the drawings have come to life." Her heart clenched in fear and she looked up at Chloe's bedroom window. "All of them."

A red light filled Chloe's room.

The Priestess cursed in Gallifreyan and she ran back towards the Trish's house. When she made it to the front door, she pounded her fist upon it.

"Trish, get out!" the Priestess shouted, urgently.

"I can't! The door's stuck!" Trish cried out.

"Is the Doctor there?" the Priestess asked, worriedly.

"I don't think so!" Trish replied.

"Mummy..." Chloe breathed, scared.

"Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you..."

"Please, dad. No more," Chloe whispered, begging.

"Chloe..."

The Priestess closed her eyes. "Chloe, listen to me. He is not real. It is just energy that remains from the Isolus, but you have the ability to do away with it-"

Trish banged on the door, helplessly, shooting a terrified look at the red light and ominous footsteps surging for them. "Help us!"

"You fear him; therefore, he haunts you! But _you_ are in a position to destroy him!"

Chloe cast her own alarmed look over her shoulder, looking at her mother for safe harbour. "Mummy!"

"Chloe, be rid of him!"

"I can't!" Chloe protested. "I can't..." She sunk to the bottom of the door, curled in on herself and terrified, giving up. "I can't."

"I'm coming..."

"Mummy..."

"Chloe..."

Trish knelt down and put her arms around her. "I'm with you, Chloe. You're not alone. You'll never be alone again."

The Priestess pounded on the door, an idea coming to her. "Sing again! Chloe, sing!"

"Chloe..."

Chloe began to sing the Kookaburra song again, but it could barely be heard over Chloe's Dad's roars, his shadow coming closer.

"Chloe... Chloe... Chloe... Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you."

Trish joined her in the song.

"Chloe!"

As their voices became stronger, his became weaker. His shadow retreated and the light faded. He roared with anger, but it faded with every second.

Chloe and Trish laughed with relief and tears, but continued to sing.

"...merry merry king of the bush is he..."

The Priestess exhaled in relief, sliding down the door and sinking onto the ground.

"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be."

* * *

Kel approached a desolate Priestess.

"Maybe he's gone somewhere," Kel offered.

The Priestess shook her head, determinedly. "He would not leave me alone this world," she said, fiercely.

Kel didn't know what to say to that.

* * *

Back in the sitting room, Trish and Chloe watched the TV, a news report about how the crowds had returned to the stadium.

" _Just look at this! Utterly incredibly scenes at the Olympics stadium, eighty thousand athletes and spectators, they disappeared, they've come back!_ "

They looked up as the Priestess and Kel entered to watch.

" _They've returned. They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly..._ "

"Eighty thousand people," the Priestess mused. "So, where is the Doctor?"

The hollow in her chest withered at the edges.

" _The torch bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble. We did see a flash of lightening earlier which seemed to strike him... erm, maybe he's injured... he's definitely in trouble._ "

The torch bearer collapsed on-screen.

" _Does this mean that the Olympic Dream is dead?_ "

A familiar brown-clad arm picked up the torch.

The Priestess shook her head, a smile edging on her face. "That miserable lackwit," she said, fondly.

The Doctor started to run with the torch alongside the crowds.

" _There's a mystery man, he's picked up the flame... we've no idea who he is... erm... he's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him._ "

Kel, Trish and Chloe smiled.

" _It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love._ "

The Doctor ran up the red carpeted stairs with the torch, the spotlight following him. The Doctor faced the crowds with a huge grin on his face, whooping. He lit the Olympic Flame.

"Go on. Join your brothers and sisters. They'll be waiting," he murmured to the pod hidden in the flames.

The crowd screamed and cheered. The Isolus, unseen by anyone except the Doctor, rose up into the air and away into the night.

* * *

The Doctor walked back down Dame Kelly Holmes Close, hands in his pocket. The Priestess crept up behind him, a gentle, relieved smile on her face.

"Cake?" she offered.

The Doctor turned, only to find her holding a cupcake decorated with edible ball bearings – as he had told her earlier that day. His face lit up, taking it as an olive branch, and he began to laugh.

"Top banana!" the Doctor crowed, taking a bite out of it, while the Priestess watched, grinning from ear to ear. "Mm. I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!"

The Priestess watched him for a few moments, unfathomably, before throwing her arms around him and sinking into his embrace.

"Fool man," she whispered into his collarbone, fisting her hand in his coat. "I thought I had lost you." She struggled out.

The Doctor kissed her gently on the hair. "Hardly," he said, comfortingly. "Not on a night like this!" She pulled away and he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "This is a night for lost things being found. Come on!"

He threaded their fingers together, as they walked down the road together.

"What are our upcoming plans?" she asked, curiously.

The Doctor shrugged. "I wanna go to the games! What we came for!"

"I have never seen the Olympic Games," the Priestess mused.

The Doctor nudged her hip with his. "Why d'you think I brought you here, love?"

Fireworks exploded overhead as the Doctor and the Priestess walked down the street, hand in hand. Suddenly, the Priestess halted in her tracks, wrapping her arms around herself.

The Doctor looked at her, worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Something is coming," she said, inauspiciously, her eyes dull and unfocused, somehow disarmed by the red in the sky.

The Doctor's jaw tightened, immediately, taking her words as gospel truth.

"What do you mean?" he asked, concerned.

Something caught in the Priestess' throat and she flinched away from something unseen.

"A storm is approaching."

* * *

 **A/N** : Well, there's the end of _Fear Her_. We got some more marital problems between the Doctor and Tess, not to mention some PTSD after the Time War, especially with the deaths of her children, and there is a part of her that blames him for a lot of it, but yeah, they both suck at communicating, so a lot of it just goes unsaid and they try and make up for it, but they completely ignore all of their issues. Well, not anymore.

Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter and don't forget to leave a review!

 **Reviews** :

 _lautaro94_ : Thank you for pointing that out!

 _NicoleR85_ : Thank you so much!

 _mrs Tall Blonde and Dead_ : Thank you!


	24. Army of Ghosts: Stir of Echoes

**A/N** : And we have the beginning of… well, to all those people who read the first excerpt of this story in _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_ , this is where it all starts.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Angst. Language.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 24**

 **Army of Ghosts: Stir of Echoes**

The TARDIS materialised in the middle of the playground and the Doctor and the Priestess stepped out.

The Priestess turned her head in the Doctor's direction. "Did Rose inform you of the nature of her problem?" She asked, curiously.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "She just called and told me to come quick."

The Priestess huffed, inwardly, at the lack of information and followed the Doctor, the two setting off towards the flats on the Powell Estate. Once they climbed up the set of stairs to the Tyler flat, the Doctor knocked on the door and the Time Lords waited patiently for it to be answered.

When the door opened, the Doctor and the Priestess were faced with Rose, breathless with relief.

"Thank God, you're here," Rose sighed, grabbing the Doctor by the forearm and yanking him over the threshold.

The Priestess ignored the part of her that felt like a wild animal wanting to snap at Rose's fingers for daring to lay a hand on what was _hers_ – she was a Time Lady; she was above such primal, base emotions.

She followed the other two inside, only to find Rose whispering something urgent to the Doctor, pausing to peer anxiously into the kitchen, where Jackie was washing dishes.

Rose turned to her and narrowed her eyes. "Aren't you a little overdressed?" She asked, almost judgmentally.

The Priestess looked down at her strapless dark-blue satin peplum and her skinny –forest-green satin slacks. She tapped her black heels, impatiently, as if the question bothered her.

"I do not believe so. And I did not realise that your home had a dress code," The Priestess retorted, coldly. "Now, I assume you called us here for a reason?" She pushed.

Rose fixed her with a look and shook her head, silently asking her to wait before approaching that subject. Jackie, upon hearing the Priestess' voice, briskly dropped the dishes in the sink and made her way into the living room, stretching her arms out to hug the Doctor, who cringed away.

"Oh, no, you don't," Jackie said, firmly. "Come here!" She pulled the struggling Time Lord close and kissed him, wetly, on the cheek, despite his weak protests. She swayed them back and forth. "Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine!"

The Priestess' lips twitched; unlike her daughter, Jackie Tyler was harmless.

The Doctor's eyes found hers, helplessly. "Just-just-just put me down!"

"Yes, you are!" Jackie cooed, kissing him again, before dropping her arms abruptly and making her way to the Priestess', whose eyes widened.

The Priestess took a step backward, almost as if she were attempting to flee, but Jackie managed to catch her, the skill only a mother could refine, and wrapped her arms around the Time Lady, eagerly. The Priestess tensed, as she was wont to do, but unwilling to express her discomfort openly, she resigned herself to the embrace and reached around and patted her on the back.

"You're much too thin," Jackie admonished. "You're like a twig. We'll need to fatten you up."

The Priestess smiled. "Time Lords do not gain weight." She said, shrugging.

Jackie pouted. "I wish I had that trick. Then, I could stop doing Pilates."

She walked off back into the kitchen and the Priestess followed.

 _What are Pilates?_ The Priestess asked the Doctor, silently, as they all made their way into the sitting room.

 _They're like aerobics, a form of exercise._

"Oh!" The Doctor exclaimed, unexpectedly. "We got you something."

Rose's eyes lit up.

The Doctor pulled a small, ornate bottle from one of his coat pockets with a blinding grin.

"It's from this market on an asteroid bazaar we were visiting," He told the blonde girl, handing it to her. "When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's gonna rain. When it's hot, it's gonna be sunny! You can use it to tell the weather!"

Rose grinned and snatched it from the Doctor, peering at the bottle. "Wow, that's so cool. Thanks, Doctor!" She beamed up at him, through her eyelashes.

The Priestess rolled her eyes (she had lost patience with the girl's lovesickness) "Why did you call us, Rose?" She asked, bluntly.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Why? Were you having too much fun without me?" She challenged.

The Priestess wanted to say _yes_ , but that would have been petty of her.

"Of course not, Rose," The Doctor soothed.

The Priestess rolled her eyes (why he chose to mollify the girl like she was some child, she would never understand?).

"But you sounded pretty worried on the phone; Tess's just concerned, that's all."

Rose's lips twisted as if she didn't believe that all. "You'll see yourself; it's starting soon." She said, vaguely.

The Priestess frowned. " _What_ is starting soon?"

Jackie appeared out of the kitchen, just then, looking flushed with excitement all of a sudden.

"Did you tell 'em, Rose?" She asked, eagerly. She looked at the Time Lords. "Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time, he'll be here at ten past!"

"Who?" The Doctor asked, curiously.

"My dad!" Jackie explained. "My dad's coming." She paused, seeing confusion on all of their facts. "Right, cup of tea!" She disappeared back into the kitchen.

There was nothing but silence between those who were left in the sitting room.

"I do not understand the oddity of your grandfather visiting your mother," The Priestess said, slowly.

Rose closed her eyes. "My grandad Prentice – he died like, ten years ago." She murmured.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look.

"Is she well?" The Priestess asked, worriedly. "Perhaps she is infirm."

"No, it's more than that," Rose corrected, wearily. "Look, I can't explain properly-look, just come into the kitchen. You'll see for yourself what's going on."

The Doctor and the Priestess, both bemused, followed Rose into the kitchen, where Jackie was already waiting for something expectantly.

"Any second now," Jackie said, quickly. She looked down at her watch. "Ten past. Here he comes.'

And right before their eyes, a figure stepped out of nowhere into the middle of the kitchen, standing beside Jackie. It was a pale, smooth grey, featureless, much like a living shadow, but had the approximate height and weight for a human.

"Here we are, then!" Jackie cried out.

The Doctor and the Priestess just stared, dumbstruck, while Rose bit her lip in concern.

"Dad... say hello to the Doctor and the Priestess. They're friends of Rose's."

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess burst out of a side-door of the block of flats at a run, Rose hot on their heels. The two Time Lords stopped in their tracks.

"They're everywhere!" The Doctor exclaimed, bewildered.

What everyone were calling 'ghosts' were truly everywhere, standing around on the streets just like ordinary people. However, no one seemed to be remotely alarmed by their presence. In fact, the Priestess could see a few boys continuing on with their ball game, as if nothing was odd. When she turned around, her eyes widened.

"Doctor!" She called out, worriedly, seizing him by the scruff of his neck and pulling him close, just as one of the 'ghosts' brushed past him.

The Doctor shuddered in discomfort, but there was no pain – it was as if the 'ghosts' weren't actually there.

"They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade," Jackie told them, casually.

"What do you mean, _shift_? Since when did ghosts have shifts?" The Doctor asked, sceptically. "Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?" He demanded, fiercely, looking at both Rose and Jackie.

Jackie, on the other hand, looked rather pleased. "Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" She told Rose, conspiratorially.

"Why are the public so accepting? Should they not be alarmed?" The Priestess asked, worriedly.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Why should we?" She looked down at her watch. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past."

Jackie smiled at Rose, who bit her lip once more, unsure of what to tell the Doctor and the Priestess – how could she explain _this_ when she barely understood it herself?

The 'ghosts' started to fade into nothing, abruptly. The Doctor and the Priestess glanced around, looking even more confused than they had before. Finally, when there was nothing more to see, the four headed back towards the Tyler flat.

* * *

The Doctor was sitting on the floor in front of Jackie's television, in between the Priestess' slightly spread legs, while she sat on one of the chairs, her hand almost proprietarily on his shoulder (Rose had given her a filthy look when they sat down and it had taken all the maturity in her not to smile back at her, satisfied).

Jackie was relaxed on the sofa, with Rose perched on the arm, as the four watched a programed named 'Ghostwatch'.

" _On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge._ "

The television cut to footage of the 'ghosts' milling around Westminster Bridge.

" _It's almost like a military display..._ "

That sparked something in the Priestess' attention. _Perhaps it is._ She mused. _But a military belonging to whom?_

The Doctor's brow was furrowed as he ran a hand across his face. "What the hell's going on?" He muttered.

He changed the channel to what seemed to be a weather report, but instead of weather symbols, they were small pictures of 'ghosts' on the map of the country.

" _And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts. From London, through the North and up into Scotland._ "

The Doctor changed it to the Trisha Goddard chat show, where the caption at the bottom of the screen proclaimed _I married a dead man_.

" _So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost._ "

Eileen was seated in front of the studio audience with a 'ghost' hovering around by the other chair, unable to actually sit down.

" _He's my ghost and I love him, 24/7!_ " Eileen declared, tearfully.

The Priestess scoffed, inwardly. _Little fool. How could she love someone who does not resemble anything beyond a shadow?_

However, there was encouraging round of applause from the audience.

The Doctor changed the channel once more.

" _Well, no one needs me anymore!_ "

The Doctor changed the channel again. There was now some advert, where a housewife in a flowery apron was addressing the camera in her kitchen, where a despondent-looking 'ghost' hovered around above the worktop.

" _My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered... Ectoshine!_ "

"This is ridiculous," The Priestess muttered.

With an expression of complete bewilderment, the Doctor changed the channel to a French news channel.

" _Et le President d'aujourd'hui, quelle est-_ "

There was now footage of the 'ghosts' wandering around the Eiffel Tower. Then, another channel, where 'ghosts' were gathered around the Taj Mahal. And the another channel of an enthusiastic Japanese newsreader. The Doctor groaned and his head fell into his hand, threading his fingers through the hand that was pressed warmly against where his neck met his shoulder.

"Oh, yes!" Jackie clapped her hands.

There was now footage of three excited Japanese girls, all screeching wildly and showing off their ghost t-shirts.

"It's all over the world," The Doctor said, bemused.

An episode of Eastenders showed Peggy Mitchell behind the bar of the Vic, having a go at a 'ghost'.

" _Listen to me, Denn Watts. I don't care if you HAVE come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me, GET OUT!_ "

The Doctor scowled at that and switched off the television with annoyance, turning to Jackie and Rose.

"When did it start?" He demanded.

"Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-" Jackie began.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I mean worldwide." He interjected.

"Oh!" Jackie's eyes widened. "That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were, ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that, whole planet was panicking... no sign of _you_ , thank you very much..." She gave him a withering look, as if it were his fault of not knowing what was going on. "Then it sort of sank in. Took us time to realise that... we're lucky."

"Why do you believe the 'ghost'-" Her lip curled to even say the word. "-is your father?" The Priestess asked, gently.

"Just feels like him," Jackie shrugged. "There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?" She looked at Rose, hopefully.

Rose swallowed hard. "I wish I could, mum, but I can't." She replied, softly.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You've got to make an effort. You've got to _want_ it, sweetheart." She said, blithely.

"The more you want it, the stronger it gets?" The Doctor guessed out loud, exchanging a deliberate look with the Priestess.

Jackie bit her lip and then nodded. "Sort of, yeah."

"A psychic link, perhaps," The Priestess mused. "Clearly you would want your father to be alive, but you are wishing him into existence. These 'ghosts' are making use of your yearning to pull themselves into this world."

"You're spoiling it," Jackie complained.

"I'm sorry, Jackie, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes. Just a memory," The Doctor continued, gently.

Rose almost seemed happy with a logical explanation for the phenomenon – the Priestess could see new lines around the corners of her eyes; clearly, her mother's delusion had upset her.

"But if they're not ghosts, what are they, then?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"Yeah, but they're human!" Jackie protested, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can see them; they _look_ human!"

"She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people," Rose said, pointedly.

"Maybe not," The Doctor said, thoughtfully. "They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot."

And with that, he tugged the Priestess' hand off his neck and jumped to his feet.

* * *

The Priestess looked up when Rose strode into the TARDIS, holding a newspaper, making her way to where the Doctor was, as usual, fiddling with something under the console, his neck level with the console.

"According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds," Rose shook her head in disbelief, peering down at him. "Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing."

The Doctor suddenly popped up from underneath the grilling, bopping his head to some strange beat, holding a device in one hand and wearing a rucksack.

"Who're you gonna call?" He sang.

"Ghostbusters!" Rose cried out, giggling.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts."

He ran to the doors of the TARDIS, Rose following him and still shaking from laughter, while the Priestess walked behind them at a slower pace, missing the joke completely.

 _Am I supposed to understand that reference?_ The Priestess asked, curiously.

The Doctor wanted to rub the back of his neck; for a moment, he had forgotten that the Priestess had actually been there.

 _It's from this movie: Ghostbuster. Look, why don't we watch it tonight before bed?_ The Doctor suggested.

 _Oh, I would not want you to inconvenience yourself for my sake_ , the Priestess replied, smoothly, brushing past him and onto the lawn.

Jackie was waiting for them outside, watching on in disapproval as the Doctor and the Priestess began to arrange three cone devices in a triangle shape.

The Doctor turned to Jackie. "When's the next shift?"

Jackie looked down at her watch. "Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble." She said, warningly. "What's that lot do?"

"It triangulates the point of origin," The Priestess told her, coolly.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose wondered out loud, thoughtfully.

"No," The Priestess replied for the Doctor, much to Rose's irritation. "The Gelth appeared through one rift. Whatever these beings are, they are transposing themselves over the entire planet."

"Like tracing paper," The Doctor amended, when it looked like Rose hadn't understood properly.

Jackie shook her head, annoyed. "You're _always_ doing this." She complained, crossly. "Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?" The Doctor rolled his eyes and continued. "Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost, our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?" She whispered, dreamily.

The Doctor paused in his work and looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time. He remembered the catch in her throat when the Priestess confessed that _she thought about their dead children all the time and sometimes she couldn't bear it_ ; he wondered how he would react if he were faced with the hope that their children had been returned to them; how would Annika react?

He never wanted to find out.

"I think it's horrific," He confessed. Jackie looked mildly shocked, but the Doctor continued. "Rose, give us a hand."

He started unwinding a cable, leading it though into the TARDIS, Rose following. He plugged it into the console, while both the Priestess and Jackie stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

"As soon as it becomes activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop..." The Doctor brandished the sonic screwdriver under Rose's nose, who went cross-eyed trying to focus on it. "Setting 15B, hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop."

* * *

"15B, eight seconds," Rose repeated.

"If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left," The Doctor ordered.

"Hang on a minute, I know..." Rose leaned over the console, pointing out a button. "It's that one." She said, proudly.

"Mm, close," The Doctor shook his head.

Rose pointed to another button. "That one?"

" _Now_ you've just killed us," The Doctor grinned.

Rose giggled. The noise and the sheer contentment on her daughter's face drew Jackie to turning her head, staring at the Priestess. The Time Lady's face looked as if it were etched in stone; the woman was hardly the most emotive person Jackie had ever met, but somehow she got the feeling that this was more than just her resting expression.

She was hiding her hurt.

"Eh... that one," Rose finally pointed at the right one.

"Yeah!" The Doctor crowed, proudly. "Now, what've we got? Two minutes to go?" He looked over at Jackie, who checked her watch and nodded.

* * *

Rose plunged the sonic screwdriver into a port on the console.

* * *

At the same moment, outside the doors, the Doctor pressed the device he was holding earlier onto one of the cones. He proceeded to do the same to the other two, shouting through the open doors to Rose.

"What's the line doing?"

* * *

"It's all right, it's holding!" Rose shouted back.

Jackie looked at her daughter, thoughtfully. "You even look like him." She mused.

Rose looked up, brow furrowed. "How d'you mean?" She smiled, then. "I s'pose I do, yeah." She said, proudly.

"You've changed so much," Jackie said, mournfully.

"For the better..." Rose said, pointedly.

"I s'pose," Jackie whispered.

Rose turned to her, sceptically. "Mum, I used to work in a _shop_." She said, slowly.

"I've worked in shops. What's wrong with that?" Jackie challenged, defensively.

Rose winced and closed her eyes. "No, I didn't mean that."

"I know what you meant," Jackie snapped. "What happens when I'm gone?" She demanded.

Rose's eyes widened and she touched her mother's arm. "Don't talk like that!"

"No, but really," Jackie shook her head, her voice lowering in its seriousness. "When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. What happens then?"

"I don't know," Rose said, quietly, looking away.

"Do you think you'll ever settle down?" Jackie asked, worriedly.

"The Doctor never will, so I can't," Rose tossed her head, blithely. "I'll just keep on travelling." She said, matter-of-factly, as if her future was set in stone.

Jackie somehow doubted that the Priestess would allow Rose as a tag-along for much longer. That puddle of drama had to settle eventually and all she could do is hope that Rose wouldn't be too heartbroken when it was all over. Rose could dream all she liked, but no man she had ever been with had been so instinctively eager for her touch the way the Doctor had seized the Priestess' hand while they were watching the television – it was as if they were repeating something they had done a million times over – it spoke of a history that Jackie feared that Rose could never push her way into, even if she tried her hardest.

Those two out there, they had _nine hundred years_ on her Rose – how could she possibly compete with that?

"And you'll keep on changing," Jackie insisted. "And in forty years' time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman... walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human..." She trailed off, her throat catching.

The Doctor shouted something unintelligible from outside, breaking the moment

"The scanner's working. It says "delta one six"." Rose called back.

* * *

The Doctor stood, facing the centre of the triangle.

"Come on, you beauty!" The Doctor cackled, practically dancing on his feet with anticipation.

As the Doctor and the Priestess watched the triangle, a 'ghost' materialised right in its centre. As it did so, the cones rippled with lines of electricity, connecting them, which in turn covered the ghost, rising up to form an electric-blue pyramid.

* * *

Jackie and Rose watched the happenings outside the TARDIS on the monitor with amazement.

* * *

The Doctor put on a pair of what looks like 3D spectacles and watched the ghost. He then bent down and adjusted a setting on his equipment. A green light beeped, made the 'ghost' shudder and groan.

The Doctor laughed at that. "Don't like that much, do you?"

"Don't be so cruel, Doctor," The Priestess admonished, lightly, walking around so that she was standing beside him. "We are here to deduce what this being is, not to abuse it."

The Doctor waved her off. "Such a hippy sometimes, I swear."

The Priestess snorted. "Yes, _I_ am the hippy." She muttered.

The Doctor shook his head. "Who are you? Where are you coming from?"

Suddenly the electricity swung in their direction and the Priestess and the Doctor shouted in alarm as they both stumbled backwards.

"That's more like it!" The Doctor said, triumphantly. "Not so friendly _now_ , are you?"

"Perhaps you angered it by trapping it in a pyramid of electricity," The Priestess replied, pointedly.

The Doctor rounded on her. "Whose side are you on?" He asked, disbelievingly.

The Priestess rolled her eyes.

The 'ghost' continued to shudder and jerk within the Doctor's triangle.

Finally, after a few minutes, the ghost disappeared, and the Doctor and the Priestess immediately darted forwards, both of them gathering up their equipment. They proceeded back into the TARDIS, quickly, and the Doctor dashed to the railing, throwing his coat over it.

"We said so!" The Doctor exclaimed, excitedly. "Those ghosts have been _forced_ into existence for one specific point! And I can track down the source. Allons-y!"

He pulled down a lever, sharply, and the TARDIS shuddered. The Priestess barely had enough time to take a hold of the railing (unfortunately, the Doctor and Rose didn't have her luck and instead fell backwards onto the chair) as the time rotor began to rise and fall.

The Doctor began to fiddle with knobs on the console, nattering away to himself.

"I like that," He mused, absentmindedly. "'Allons-y'. I should say 'allons-y' more often. 'Allons-y'. Watch out, Rose Tyler! Allons-y! And THEN, it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Alonzo. Because then I could say, 'allons-y, Alonzo'! Every time!" He paused. "You're staring at me." He commented, peering at the strange smile on Rose's face.

Rose leaned in. "My mum's still on board." She said, quietly.

The Doctor's eyes strayed from Rose up to Jackie, who was sitting up in the gantries (the Priestess momentarily wondered how the older woman had managed to climb up there), her legs dangling back and forth.

Much to the Priestess' amusement, the Doctor's face contorted with horror.

"If we end up on Mars, I'm gonna kill you," Jackie said, firmly.

* * *

The Priestess leaned in, staring at the monitor, as it showed an army of soldiers bursting through a door near where the TARDIS had landed, fitted out with guns and taking their positions outside the big, blue box.

"Oh, well, there goes the advantage of surprise," The Doctor pouted. "Still! Cuts to the chase. Tess, you're with me. Rose, stay in here, look after Jackie." He told them, making his way to the door.

Rose scowled at the thought of being left behind in the TARDIS while the Priestess accompanied the Doctor instead – as far as she was concerned, the Priestess had already monopolised enough of the Doctor's time as it was, with her convenient excuse of wanting Rose to spend more time with her mother (it wasn't that she had been upset at being with her mother, especially after that intense experience on the sanctuary base, but she couldn't help but think – and maybe this was just her jealousy talking and she was being unreasonably paranoid, but she had nothing else to go on – that the Priestess had used her mother as an excuse to get rid of Rose).

"I'm not looking after my mum!" Rose protested.

"Well, you brought her!" The Doctor shot back.

"I was kidnapped!" Jackie interjected, indignantly.

That made the Priestess laugh, quietly. She quite liked the older woman.

Rose pushed past the Priestess (quite rudely, she might add) and the Doctor and slipped in front of them so that they couldn't pass her.

"Doctor, they've got guns," Rose said, warningly.

"And I haven't," The Doctor said, simply. "Which makes me the better person, don't you think?"

"I am not quite sure that is the most logical inference," The Priestess muttered.

While she didn't approve of Rose's brashness, she had to appreciate the sentiment – she didn't want the Doctor to be faced with the barrel of a gun any more than Rose did.

 _He only has three regenerations left._

It was a truth that she couldn't quite move on from.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and caught Rose by the waist, moving her smoothly out of the way.

He turned to the Priestess. "Actually, on second thought, they have guns. You stay here."

"Doctor-" The Priestess began, warningly.

 _Nikki, please,_ the Doctor said, smoothly. _I can't concentrate if I'm worried about them killing you._

 _I am able to attend to myself_ , she protested.

 _Not against dozens of guns, you can't,_ the Doctor retorted. _Please, stay here, keep a watch on everything going on and let me know what you think. I trust your eyes more than my own._

The Priestess, while she disapproved of her Bondmate walking into danger without her by his side, could see the advantage of that plan. She would be able to keep an eye on him from inside the TARDIS and it would be one less bargaining chip they would give whomever had captured them.

"Fine," The Priestess said, shortly, and swept back to the console to join Jackie.

"Great," The Doctor beamed.

"Oh, so you'll care about _her_ possibly getting shot, but what about you?" Rose demanded, as if she couldn't quite understand why the Doctor put the Priestess' safety above his.

The Doctor shrugged. "They can shoot me dead, but the moral high-ground is mine." He declared.

And with that, he opened the door and stepped through it.

He promptly raised his hands when he heard the sound of the safety catches on the soldiers' guns being released, with each barrel deftly pointed at him.

A middle-aged blonde woman hurried into the room, running towards Time Lord.

"Oh...! Oh, how marvellous," The woman said, excitedly, clapping her hands together. "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!"

The soldiers, seemingly understanding and agreeing with her enthusiasm, followed suit, applauding him. The Doctor frowned, bewildered, and lowered his hands slowly.

"Um. Thanks. Nice to meet you. I'm... the Doctor," He said, awkwardly.

And for whatever reason, his introduction set them all off clapping once more.

"Oh, I should say! Hurray!"

"You... you've heard of me, then?" The Doctor asked, hesitantly.

"Well, of course we have. And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would _be_ here," The woman said, dramatically. "The Doctor _and_ the TARDIS...!"

Overcome with excitement, she started the applause again. There was look of satisfaction on the Doctor's face, before the Priestess' mental elbow jab to the ribs quickly removed it.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude," The Doctor began. "But who are you?"

The woman waved him off. "Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and the Priestess, right. The two Time Lords. Oh, and the Doctor always has a companion too. That's a pattern isn't it, right?"

The Priestess, from her vantage point at the console, ignored the darkening of Rose's face as the unknown woman claimed Rose's presence in the TARDIS as an afterthought.

The Doctor stared back at the woman, blankly, unwilling to give anything up.

The Priestess didn't know whether she should resent the fact that whoever these people were, they seemed to consider it a fact of the universe that her Bondmate was wonted to running around with pretty young girls, even if she were paired with him as well.

She wondered if that reflected badly upon her – _no_ , how could it? Even if there was something untoward regarding the Doctor's relationships with his companions (and seeing as he still had his head and his cock, she very much doubted there had ever been), it could never have been her fault.

Only his, only ever his.

"There's no point hiding anything. Not from us," The woman's voice lowered and both Time Lords easily took it as a threat. She then smiled, as if she hadn't said anything sinister at all. "So, where are they?"

The Doctor blinked. "... Yes! Sorry. Good point. She's just a bit shy, that's all." He opened the door of the TARDIS just the slightest crack, feeling around for Jackie, who he pulled out by a firm grip on her coat. "But here she is: Rose Tyler." He looked Jackie up and down. "Hmm. She's _not_ the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that." He mimed her chatting non-stop and Jackie glared at him, witheringly, making the woman laugh. "And just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged fifty-seven years. But she'll do."

The Priestess resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose – sometimes the Doctor gave her headaches.

"I'm _forty_!" Jackie protested.

The Priestess' lips twitched.

"Deluded," The Doctor sighed. "Bless. I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone?" He asked the woman, conspiratorially. "She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well. I say not bad..." He amended, awkwardly, and then shook his head. "Anyway!"

"And the Priestess?" The woman looked over his shoulder at the closed doors of the TARDIS, expectantly.

"She's not here," The Doctor shrugged, but his voice was firm. "She's at Planetfall. It's this festival on Estringokl that celebrates the accomplishments of the Rift Pioneers, who were the early human colonists. Anyway, she kept hounding me and so I decided to drop her off there." He shook his head. "Lead on. But not too fast. Her ankle's going." He told the woman, conspiratorially, nodding his head at Jackie

The woman narrowed her eyes, as if she suspected he was lying about the Priestess, but turned to lead the way, the Doctor and Jackie following.

"I'll show you where my ankle's going," Jackie hissed at the Doctor's back.

The woman led them through the doorway she had entered through herself.

"It was only a matter of time until you found us. And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor."

The woman began, grandly, pushing open the doors into a huge factory floor, filled with boxes of alien artefacts accompanied by scientists busy working on them.

"Welcome... to Torchwood."

* * *

 **A/N** : Well, there we have it. So, as you can probably see, we do have some tension and internal resentment building up between our happily Bonded couple, which will come to a head very soon. This is like nine-hundred years of marital problems finally, you know, blowing up. I'm trying very hard to give each of the characters a voice, so it doesn't seem like it's too biased (even if I am just a little bit), so let me know if you think I'm being unfair to someone.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I'll see for you the next one (don't forget to review if you liked it!)


	25. Army of Ghosts: What Lies Beneath

**A/N** : And we have the beginning of… well, to all those people who read the first excerpt of this story in _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_ , this is where it all starts.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Angst. Language.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 25**

 **Army of Ghosts: What Lies Beneath**

 _The woman led them through the doorway she had entered through herself._

" _It was only a matter of time until you found us. And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor."_

 _The woman began, grandly, pushing open the doors into a huge factory floor, filled with boxes of alien artefacts accompanied by scientists busy working on them._

" _Welcome... to Torchwood."_

The Priestess swallowed. She didn't know why, but that word, it made her skin prickle in a way that she should be taking as a warning but didn't know how or why.

 _Torchwood? Does that mean anything to you, Theta_? She asked him, cautiously.

* * *

The Doctor stared straight ahead.

" _Torchwood will rise. The war will begin. The walls will break. The world will collide with another. The universe will fracture. Those who should not exist, will exist. They will destroy you. The sin and the fear and the darkness will be the end of you. The killer of his own kind and the woman who endures the_ _abandon and dominion_ _of time and space."_

 _Torchwood will rise._

The Priestess – although whatever had looked at him, in that moment, hadn't been _his_ Annika, his Tess – had seen this coming.

 _The walls will break._

 _The world will collide with another._

 _The universe will fracture._

 _Those who should not exist, will exist._

 _They will destroy you._

* * *

 _Theta?_ The Priestess asked, worriedly.

There was a pause. _You spoke about them. In one of your visions._

She bit back the instinctual fear at the memory. _I-I do not remember. What did I say?_ She stammered.

 _Torchwood will rise. The walls will break. The world will collide with another. The universe will fracture. Those who should not exist, will exist. They will destroy you._

The Priestess frowned. _The walls will break? As in the walls of our universe? Perhaps the vision foretells our universe coming into contact with another? As what happened with the Cybermen in the other universe?_ She mouthed _those who should not exist, will exist_. She took a deep breath. _Theta?_

 _This is bad, Tess,_ he said, shortly.

* * *

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "That's a Jathar Sunglider."

 _Nikki, you seeing this_?

 _Yes. Unfortunately,_ came the reply.

"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago," The woman explained.

The Doctor frowned. "What, did it crash?"

The woman shook her head. "No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us! Now if you'd like to come with me." She said, briskly.

Jackie shared an incredulous glance with the Doctor, while the woman led them on.

"The Torchwood Institute has a motto: "if it's alien, it's ours". Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire."

The Doctor paused.

"For the good of the what?" Jackie asked, confused.

"The British Empire," The woman replied, pleasantly.

Jackie stared at her. "There _isn't_ a British Empire."

"Not yet," The woman said, vaguely. "Ah, excuse me..." She took a weapon off a soldier. "Now, if you wouldn't mind... do you recognise this, Doctor?" She asked, curiously.

"That's a particle gun," The Doctor said, surprised.

* * *

 _What?_ The Priestess demanded. _How do they have particle guns_?

Rose tapped her on the shoulder, impatiently, taking a step back when the flinch shuddered through the Priestess' small frame. When the Priestess rounded on her, her face was blank, however.

"We should go outside. See what's going on," Rose said, anxiously.

"I am in contact with the Doctor," The Priestess replied.

Rose's brow furrowed. "How?"

"Our people are telepathic," The Priestess explained.

"So, you're reading his mind?"

The Priestess gave her a withering look. "Nothing so tawdry. The Doctor and I have known each other since we were children. There is a bond between us. It allows me to establish easily a mental connection." The way that Rose's mouth turned down at the corners did not please her in the slightest. "The woman led them away. She is currently showing the Doctor and your mother technology that should not be in human hands for centuries."

Rose shrugged. "So?"

"That is a problem," The Priestess said, slowly.

Rose narrowed her eyes. "What, you against us evolving or somethin'?"

"Of course not," The Priestess snapped. "But the established history of this planet is that humanity is not prepared for this type of technology, not now, at least."

"But what's the problem if we get it a few years earlier than schedule?" Rose shot back.

The Priestess sighed. Honestly, she wondered if Rose argued for the sake of arguing.

"Rose, this technology, here on Earth – it is an aberration of time. Something has changed in this planet's timeline, such that your government has come into the possession of this technology. There is a reason why your planet was meant to possess this technology when it would have. So much of the future of this planet could now change because Torchwood has this technology. It is _wrong_."

"But if it helps keep Earth safe-" Rose protested.

"Do you recall Satellite 5?" The Priestess asked, suddenly. Rose nodded, warily. "The technology there was _wrong_ as well. It was our duty to remedy that. It is exactly the same situation here." She paused. "This is not personal, Rose. I have no private belief as to whether humanity should possess this technology or not. My knowledge of time informs me that this must be put to rights. And I will do my duty."

* * *

"Good, isn't it?" The woman looked down at the gun, triumphantly. Jackie attempted to touch it, but the woman wrenched it from her grasp and ignored the interruption. "Took us eight years to get it to work..."

"It's the twenty-first century," The Doctor said, slowly. "You can't _have_ particle guns."

The woman blinked. "We must defend our border against the alien." She handed the particle gun back to the waiting soldier. "Thank you... Sebastian, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The woman smiled. "Thank you, Sebastian." She turned back to the Doctor and Jackie. "I think it's _very_ important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days." She smiled, smugly. "I'm a people person."

Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Have you got anyone called Alonzo?" The Doctor asked, suddenly.

He winced at the Priestess' disapproval wrangling through his head.

 _Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know_ , he grumbled.

The woman frowned. "No, I don't think so. Is that important?"

"I suppose not," The Doctor sighed. "What was your name?" He walked off to examine whatever else they had collected.

"Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman."

The Doctor pulled a large, black device with a flat base from a box.

"Ah, yes," Yvonne said, approvingly. "Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric." She explained

The Doctor threw the Magnaclamp back in the box and brushed his hands together.

"I could do with that to carry the shopping," Jackie offered.

"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit. Not the general public's," Yvonne said, patronisingly, making Jackie pull a face.

The Doctor looked through a magnifying glass. "So, what about these ghosts?"

"Ah, yes, the ghosts," Yvonne clapped her hands together. "They're er... what you might call a side effect."

The Doctor frowned. "Of what?"

 _The walls will break, Theta_ , the Priestess murmured. _Could-could something have broken down the walls? Could this be related to these 'ghosts'?_

The Doctor had never felt such distress from the Priestess. Not since their children were alive and the Time War was raging, and she was alone and scared for their lives.

To hear it now, he knew her vision – or whatever she remembered of it – was worrying her.

"All in good time, Doctor," Yvonne smiled, reassuringly. "There is an itinerary, trust me." She said, briskly.

Just then, the TARDIS came in on the back of a truck.

Jackie's eyes widened. "Oi! Where're you taking that?"

Yvonne raised an eyebrow. "If it's alien, it's ours." She said, pointedly.

The Doctor snorted. "You'll never get inside it."

Yvonne hummed as if she didn't quite believe him, but the Doctor knew the truth. Even if there was the slightest chance that Torchwood would manage to breach the TARDIS' defences (and nothing had managed it yet, so he wasn't holding out much hope for them), the Priestess could easily remove her and Rose from the vicinity and hole them up on Catrigan Nova if she had to.

Yvonne walked away. As the Doctor watched the TARDIS, Rose opened the door a crack and peeked through it. The Doctor nodded encouragingly and looked away.

* * *

Yvonne, the Doctor and Jackie strode down a corridor, flanked by armed soldiers.

"All those times I've been on Earth, _I've_ never heard of you," The Doctor said, pointedly.

"But of course not," Yvonne said, simply. "You're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown."

The Doctor frowned. "1879..." His eyes dawned with realisation. "That was called Torchwood, that house in Scotland."

"That's right," Yvonne nodded. "Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf."

"I think he makes half of it up," Jackie said, dramatically.

"Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great. And fighting the alien horde."

"But if I'm the enemy, does that mean that I'm a prisoner?" The Doctor asked, warningly, but in a conversational tone.

"Oh, yes," Yvonne replied, lightly. They rounded a corner and found themselves outside a large black door. "But we'll make you perfectly comfortable. And there is so much you can teach us. Starting with this."

She pressed her ID card against the digital lock beside the door and the black metal parted in the centre. They walked into a chamber, where a large golden sphere was at the far end, with a brown-skinned man in front of it, taking notes on a clipboard.

"Now, what do you make of that?" She asked, grandly.

Noticing their arrival, the brown-skinned man straightened his jacket and approached the Doctor, who was gazing open-mouthed up at the sphere.

 _Uh, Nikki, we may have a problem here._

 _What is it?_

 _See for yourself._

He opened up their bond, let her slide into his mind like a knife cutting through hot butter, and see what he was seeing, and suddenly, they were more one than they usually were. He felt her shock and fear ring through his bones and resisted the urge to rock back on his feet from the weight of her emotions.

As such, he completely missed the introduction of the lab-coated scientist as he approached him.

"You must be the Doctor. Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, sir."

Rajesh held out his hand, but the Doctor couldn't muster enough attention to care at that point in time.

"Yeah..." He said, vaguely.

Rajesh lowered his hand, sheepishly.

Jackie frowned. "What _is_ that thing?"

Yvonne shrugged. "We got no idea."

"But what's wrong with it?"

Rajesh raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" He asked, curiously.

Jackie grimaced. "I dunno... just feels weird."

The Doctor darted forwards and up the steps leading to the sphere.

"Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone. Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden."

"We tried analysing it using every device imaginable," Rajesh explained.

The Doctor put on his 3D specs, looking up at the sphere through them.

 _A void ship,_ the Priestess murmured.

The Doctor frowned. _Are you sure?_

 _Yes, nothing but this could emit such a hollow in the continuum._

 _Then, this is bad._

 _Very much so_ , the Priestess mused, grimly.

"But according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And has no atomic mass."

"But I can see it!" Jackie protested.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off... nothing. It is... absent," Rajesh drawled.

Yvonne rounded on the Doctor. "Well, Doctor?"

"This is a Void Ship," The Doctor said, plainly.

"And what is that?" Yvonne demanded.

The Doctor pursed his lips and folded away his glasses. "Well, it's impossible for starters. I always thought it was just a theory, but... it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space. Travelling through the Void."

He slumped down on the bottom step, and Yvonne and Rajesh crowded him.

"And what's the Void?"

"The space between dimensions," The Doctor explained. "There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in-between. Containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that - nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Without end. My people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."

Rajesh frowned. "But someone built the sphere. What for? Why go there?"

The Doctor shrugged. "To explore. To escape. You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang... end of the universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation."

"You see, we were right. There is something inside it," Yvonne said, smugly.

 _I… do not like that woman_ , the Priestess muttered.

 _You and me both, honey._

The Doctor's eyes snapped to the blonde woman, narrowing. "Oh, yes." He said, firmly, catching her with his tone.

"So how do we get in there?" Rajesh asked, curiously.

The Doctor and the Priestess simultaneously made a mental noise of disbelief.

 _Did they not just hear you liken the Void to Hell?_ The Priestess demanded.

The Doctor sighed. _No one said they were smart, Tess._

He jumped to his feet. "We don't! We send that thing back into Hell. How did it get here in the first place?" He rounded on them.

"Well, that's how it all started. The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake," Yvonne explained.

 _Could these 'ghosts' have travelled from another universe_? The Priestess wondered. _You said that I spoke of walls breaking. If the ship came from the void, destabilising the barriers of our universe, it would stand-to-reason that whatever these 'ghosts' are, they may have either created the ship as a way to break down the walls, or used the ship as a way to breach our universe._

 _But what species even has the technology to create a Void Ship, Tess?_ The Doctor argued.

 _I cannot think of any, but for ours,_ the Priestess confessed. _In the absence of any other explanation or evidence, I suppose we will have to wait and see._

The Doctor grimaced and he turned back to Yvonne. "Show me." He ordered.

 _See if you can come by this way,_ the Doctor suggested. _I'd feel better if you'd take a look at this thing in person._

The Priestess huffed. _I thought you were concerned for my safety._

 _Yeah, well, there's a damn Void Ship here, so I suppose we need all hands on deck._

 _Do you expect me to mind the human as well?_ The Priestess drawled.

 _Don't be mean, darling._

"Show me," The Doctor ordered, striding off.

Yvonne exchanged a look with Rajesh and followed him. The Doctor exited the chamber and turned left.

"No, Doctor."

He rounded back and turned right.

* * *

"Wait, so we're _leaving_ now?" Rose demanded. "I thought it was too dangerous."

"It was," The Priestess said, simply. "But there is some troubling evidence that requires further investigation."

"Like what?" Rose asked, suspiciously. "What did the Doctor tell you?"

"This organisation, they call it Torchwood. Is that familiar to you?"

Rose frowned for a moment and then her eyes dawn in realisation. "The werewolf and Queen Victoria. Wasn't that castle called Torchwood too?"

"Yes," The Priestess replied. "It would seem that Queen Victoria was not so impressed by that particular incident. She created the Torchwood Institute to monitor and manage the alien threat."

"The _alien_ threat?" Rose said, disbelievingly.

"They are not too fond of the Doctor," The Priestess said, dryly. "A common sentiment across the universe, but these humans seem to have found something that is problematic to say the least."

This sparked Rose's curiosity. "What did they find?"

"From what I could see through the Doctor's mind, it is what my people referred to as a Void Ship."

"What's a Void Ship?"

"The _Void_ is what we call the emptiness found between all parallel dimensions. It has been given many names; some even call it Hell. There is no light or dark. No space, no time. No up, no down."

"So, a Void Ship then, what, travels through the Void?" Rose guessed.

The Priestess nodded. "Yes. Theoretically, in a Void Ship, one could let eternity pass by, but it would not affect them. Universes could shatter and begin anew around them, and they would be completely blind to it all."

"So, why's it such a problem that Torchwood has one?"

"It is my belief – and the Doctor agrees with me – that these 'ghosts' are perhaps not as innocent as they seem. I believe that they are, in fact, travellers from a parallel dimension using the Void Ship as a form of wrecking ball in order to enter our universe. Either, they are the architects of the Void Ship or have merely leeched off the opportunity presented to them. I am more of the opinion that the latter holds true here."

"Why couldn't they be the architects?"

"This technology is confusing, to say the least. If the Time Lords had existed still, then I would say it was their construction. But 'tis only the Doctor and I now, and neither of us made it," She shook her head. "No other species is advanced enough to have made this. None living now."

Rose sighed. "Yeah, I can see why that's bad."

The Priestess nodded, briskly. She made her way to where the Doctor's coat hung over the railing and fished inside the pocket, searching for the psychic paper.

"Come," The Priestess ordered. "Let us investigate."

The two women tentatively stepped outside the TARDIS doors, the Priestess closing the blue door behind her. They had been tucked away in a corner of the factory floor. The Priestess, seeing two soldiers approaching, quickly muffled Rose's mouth and pulled them away against the wall, waiting until they were gone to release the other woman. Rose quickly picked up a white lab coat and shoved a similar one into the Priestess' hands.

"Here, so we look like one of them," Rose said, quickly.

The Priestess nodded and slipped on the coat. The two walked confidently out in the open and no one gave either of them a second glance.

"Where are we going?" Rose muttered.

"To where lies the Void Ship," The Priestess said, purposefully, striding in the direction she had seen through the Doctor's eyes.

* * *

Yvonne showed the Doctor the white expanse of wall at the end of the rift chamber.

"The sphere came through here. A hole in the world," Yvonne explained, while the Doctor ran his hand over the smooth, white-painted wall. "Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breach opens up."

The Doctor rounded on her. "How did you even find it?"

"Well, we were getting warning signs for years. A radar black-spot. So, we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breach was six hundred feet above sea level. It was on the only way to reach it."

The Doctor slipped on his 3D glasses. "You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?" He asked, sceptically.

"Enough," Yvonne said, tersely, walking away.

The Doctor removed his glasses and folded his arms, still contemplating the wall.

 _Where are you now?_ He asked the Priestess.

 _Rose and I are now proceeding to where the Void Ship is held._

 _What if they catch you?_ The Doctor asked, worriedly.

 _I have your psychic paper. And I do not fear these humans,_ the Priestess huffed, as if he had insulted her personally.

Perhaps just her pride, though.

 _You should_ , the Doctor said, grimly. _They're not really fond of anyone who's not human and an employee of Torchwood._

 _I have survived worse,_ the Priestess said, grimly.

The Doctor clenched his fists, instinctively. _Don't remind me._

 _You began the conversation_ , the Priestess replied, loftily.

Jackie was looking out of the window in Yvonne's office. "Hold on a minute... we're in Canary Wharf! Must be! This building, it's Canary Wharf."

Yvonne's lips twitched. "Well, that is the public name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."

The Doctor joined them. "So, you find the breach, probe it, the sphere comes through. Six hundred feet above London, bam. It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think _oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?_ Nah, you think _let's make it BIGGER_!'" He said, scornfully.

Yvonne stared at him, coldly. "It's a massive source of energy. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes."

She left the office and re-entered the main area of the rift chamber.

"Cancel it," The Doctor said, sharply.

"I don't think so," Yvonne scoffed.

"I'm warning you, cancel it," The Doctor said, angrily.

Yvonne rounded on him, the angles of her face all sharp. "Oh, exactly as the legends would have it. The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man." She hissed.

"Let me show you," The Doctor drawled.

He took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and stood on the other side of the glass partition that separated Yvonne's office and the rift chamber.

"Sphere comes through."

He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the glass and a loud humming could be heard. The glass splintered, and the cracks crawled outwards, continuing to do so as the Doctor spoke.

"But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But too many ghosts, and..."

He placed the lightest touch of his fingertip on the glass and the entire panel just shattered, falling from the frame in shards.

Yvonne was slightly shaken, but she hid it well. "Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful." She turned to her staff. "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute."

The Doctor pursued her, determinedly. "Ms Hartman, I am asking you. Please, don't do it."

Yvonne shook her head. "We have done this a thousand times."

"Then _stop_ at a thousand!" The Doctor said, furiously.

"We are in control of the ghosts," Yvonne argued. "The levers can open the breech, but equally they can _close_ it."

 _She's not backing down, Tess,_ the Doctor growled.

 _Do the humans not have a saying: give him enough rope and he will hang himself_ , the Priestess replied, artfully.

 _Yeah, but do we want to wait until they hang themselves? They'll drag the whole human race down with them_ , the Doctor argued.

 _There is only so many of their actions you are able to control, my love,_ the Priestess said, pointedly. _You cannot command them, and they must make their own mistakes._

"Okay," The Doctor finally said, lightly, walking off into Yvonne's office to grab a chair.

"Sorry?!" Yvonne called after him, shocked.

"Never mind! As you were," The Doctor said, cheerfully.

Yvonne's brow furrowed. "What, is that it?" She asked, sceptically.

The Doctor settled down in the chair, comfortably. "No! Fair enough. Said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance of a cup of tea?"

"Ghost Shift in twenty seconds."

The Doctor leaned back, almost as if he were challenging her subtly. "Mm! Can't _wait_ to see it!"

"You can't stop us, Doctor," Yvonne said, suspiciously.

"No, absolutely not!" The Doctor shook his head. He turned to Jackie. "Pull up a chair, Rose! Come and watch the fireworks."

Jackie moved around so that she was standing behind the Doctor's chair, curious to see what game he was playing.

"Ghost Shift in ten seconds. Nine... eight..."

Yvonne remained uneasy. She stared at the Doctor, who simply raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to go through with it.

"Seven... six... five... four... three... two..."

Yvonne cracked. "Stop the shift. I said stop." She ordered, her shoulders slumping in resignation.

The Doctor leaned forwards. "Thank you." He said, gratefully.

Yvonne huffed, trying to save face with the loss of power she had just experienced. "I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything." She warned.

The Doctor grinned. "I'm glad to be of help."

Yvonne addressed the rest of the Torchwood staff, watching with interest at the exchange. "And someone clear up this glass." She turned to the Doctor. "They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess."

She disappeared off into her office.

* * *

The Priestess watched the man (Rajesh, she believed his name was), who had been inside the chamber with the Void Ship when the Doctor had been introduced to it, walk around a corner, hearing the sound of the door open and close. The two peered cautiously around the edge of the wall and then approached the door. The Priestess palmed the psychic paper and pressed it against the lock, and the door slid open.

The two women walked slowly into the sphere chamber. The Priestess felt Rose slow behind her, seemingly captivated by the giant golden sphere in front of them. She, herself, cringed on the inside, her skin crawling instinctively, but she was able to shove it down forcefully lest she reveal to Rajesh that they were intruders. Rajesh spotted them and approached her.

"Can I help you?" He asked, briskly.

"We were just…" Rose trailed off, unable to take her eyes off the sphere.

He rolled his eyes. "Try not to look. It does that to everyone. What do you want?"

Rose stepped forwards. "Sorry. Um... they sent me from personnel. They said some man had been taken prisoner. Some sort of Doctor? I'm just... checking the lines of communication, did they tell you anything?"

Rajesh narrowed his eyes. "Can I see your authorisation?" He demanded.

Rose blinked. "Sure." She nudged the Priestess, who handed him the psychic paper, checking it.

"That's lucky," He commented.

Rose smiled.

"You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training," Rajesh said, coldly.

The Priestess sighed, and Rose's smile faded.

"This paper is blank. And you two are fakes," He lifted up his communication device. "Seal the room. Call security." He said, quietly.

The doors slid closed.

"Samuel? Can you check the door locks? They just walked right in."

Samuel turned around, to reveal a startlingly familiar face, making the Priestess smile despite herself.

"Doing it now, sir," Mickey said, quickly.

Rose stared at him, surprised. She opened her mouth to say something, but Mickey put a finger to his lips and gave both the thumbs up, grinning.

The Priestess turned to Rajesh. "You misunderstand us. My name is the Priestess. I am a Time Lady. You met my partner, the Doctor, not long ago."

Rajesh frowned. "How do I know you're not just making that up?" He asked, suspiciously.

She gestured to the sphere. "The Void Ship."

Rajesh swallowed. "How do you know it's called that?"

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "I was the one who told the Doctor what it was." She said, slowly. "Your instruments will not be able to analyse it, I am afraid. This technology is beyond anything any race in this universe is capable of. Any and all species that would have been able to invent such a device are long dead."

"Can you get inside, then?" Rajesh asked, excitedly.

"No," The Priestess shook her head. "And if I were you, I would not want to." She said, sharply. "The Doctor explained to you the function of a Void Ship, but he neglected to mention the damage it has already done to our universe."

Rajesh frowned. "What do you mean?"

"When the Void Ship travelled through the Void and into our universe, it created a breach in the walls that surround our universe. A hole, if you will. This enabled those 'ghosts' to travel from their universe into ours as well. It paved their path. Either they are the engineers of this Void Ship or they have used it as a convenient point of entry into our universe. In either scenario, it will not pose well for this world. Every 'ghost' shift, the breach that was created spreads until the walls of our universe will inevitably shatter," She shook her head. "Whatever or whoever is inside, they are no friends of yours, Mr Singh."

Rajesh looked conflicted.

"You two should probably take a seat," He said, finally.

* * *

Yvonne was sitting at her desk with a laptop in front of her.

"So, these ghosts, whatever they are, did they build the sphere?" She asked, curiously, although her worry betrayed her.

Her eyes lingered on the Doctor's feet, which were crossed on the desk, distastefully, but she reluctantly let it slide.

"Must have," The Doctor said, casually. "Aimed it at this dimension like a cannon ball."

" _Yvonne?_ " Rajesh's voice came through the laptop over video call. " _I think you should see this. We've got some visitors. One of them's claiming to be a Time Lady, the Doctor's partner._ "

The Doctor grimaced. _Tess, what are you doing?_

 _Helping,_ the Priestess hummed.

 _Getting caught isn't helping_ , the Doctor retorted.

The Priestess sent him dismay down their bond. _You are taken prisoner more often than actual prisoners, my love. I will never be able to compete with your record._

Yvonne turned the laptop around so that the Doctor could see the Priestess, Rose and Rajesh on the screen.

"They yours?" Yvonne raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor shook his head. "Never seen them before in my life."

Yvonne scoffed. "Doctor, they've already confessed."

" _Actually, she confessed. I didn't say anything,_ " Rose offered.

The Doctor's shoulders slumped. "Oh, all right then, it'll be worth a try. That's... that's the Priestess. And the blonde's Rose Tyler."

Rose grinned and waved. " _Hello!_ "

Yvonne frowned. "Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's _she_?" She gestured to Jackie.

"I'm her mother," Jackie said, defensively.

Yvonne turned to the Doctor, looking at him with derision. "Oh, you travel with her mother?"

"He kidnapped me," Jackie protested.

The Doctor closed his eyes. "Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people we travelled through time and space with her mother..."

The Priestess rolled her eyes. " _You are an absolute fool._ " She said, firmly.

Jackie scowled. "Charming."

"I've got a reputation to uphold!" The Doctor retorted.

In that moment, they all heard the sound of the ghost shift engines whirring in the air. Yvonne jumped to her feet and looked over the Doctor's shoulder, outside her office, addressing the staff.

"Excuse me? Everyone? I thought I said stop the ghost shift," She said, sharply. They all ignored her, staring straight ahead as if they hadn't even heard her. "Who started the program? But-I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?!" She snapped, pointing to the lever which is rising upwards of its own accord. "Step away from the monitors, everyone."

No one listened to her and they all continued typing.

 _Doctor, something is very wrong,_ the Priestess murmured in his mind.

Yvonne's hands were shaking. "Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing, _right now_. Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!" She shouted.

Two scientists rushed over to the levers and struggled to push them down against the force that was pulling them up.

"Stop the levers!" Yvonne screamed.

The Doctor strode over to Adeola. "What's _she_ doing?" He asked, curiously, but there was definitely worry in his voice.

Yvonne followed him. "Addy? Step away from the desk." She ordered.

The Doctor stared at her, clicking his fingers in front of her face to see if she would blink, but Adeola did not react.

"Listen to me. Step away from the desk," Yvonne said, sharply.

The Doctor shook his head. "She can't hear you." He narrowed his eyes at the computer screen. "They're overriding the system."

The Doctor, Jackie and Yvonne stared anxiously at the blank expanse of wall.

 _I imagine this is the work of our 'ghosts', Doctor,_ the Priestess said, slowly. _If they have decided to force our hand in this, they must be beginning their plot._

"We're going into Ghost Shift," The Doctor said, grimly.

The light against the blank wall began to brighten.

* * *

"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled," Rajesh said, hurriedly.

Mickey, who was checking the locks on the chamber door, glanced over his shoulder, curiously.

"What's going on?" Rajesh demanded, but there was no reply on the other end. "Yvonne?"

The whole chamber suddenly shuddered, and the Priestess rounded on the sphere, something akin to fear and dead settling in her bones.

"I would not be concerned with the Ghost Shift now," The Priestess murmured.

The disturbance had come from the sphere.

Rajesh shook his head. "It can't be."

The four strode over to it, just as another crash from the sphere rang through the air.

"It's active!" Rajesh said in a hushed voice.

* * *

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the device in Adeola's ear and for a moment, all he could hear was the thud of his beating hearts.

 _I think I figured out who's behind this,_ the Doctor said, slowly.

 _Well, do not be shy_ , the Priestess said, sternly.

 _Cybermen._

 _Cybermen? Here? How can that be?_ The Priestess demanded.

 _That's what I want to know too_ , the Doctor scowled.

"It's the ear-piece controlling them. I've seen this before," The Doctor told Yvonne and Jackie. He took his sonic screwdriver from his suit pocket and made his way until he was standing behind Adeola. He took a moment, deliberating over what he was about to do. "Sorry. I'm so sorry." He said, sincerely.

He held the sonic screwdriver to the ear-piece, deactivating it. Adeola shrieked with pain and slumped over the desk, completely still, followed by Matt and Gareth.

"What happened? What did you just do?" Yvonne demanded, staring at Adeola, Matt and Gareth with fear.

"They're dead," The Doctor said, coldly.

Jackie stared at him with horror. "You killed them."

The Doctor turned to the computer. "Oh, someone else did that long before I got here." He mused.

"But you killed them!" Jackie snapped, her hands shaking.

The Doctor rounded on her. "Jackie, I haven't got time for this." He said, angrily.

"What're those ear-pieces?" Yvonne asked, sharply.

"Don't," The Doctor warned.

"But they're standard communication devices," Yvonne protested. "How does it control them?"

The Doctor went over to Matt's computer. "Trust me, leave them alone."

"But what are they?" Yvonne thumbed Adeola's ear-piece and pulled it from her head, a trail of brain tissue clinging to the other end. She gagged and immediately dropped it. "Ugh! Oh, God! It goes inside their brain!" She exclaimed, revolted.

"What about the Ghost Shift?" The Doctor asked, his fists clenching.

"Ninety percent there. It's still running. Can't you stop it?" Yvonne asked, worriedly.

The Doctor shook his head. "They're still controlling it. They've hijacked the system."

Yvonne's brow furrowed. "Who's _they_?"

The Doctor didn't reply to her question and instead, took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and held it flat on the palm of his hand, turning slowly.

 _We may have an obstacle here,_ the Priestess' voice was clipped but underneath, he could detect an undercurrent of distress and concern.

 _What? What's going on? What is it, Tess?_ The Doctor demanded.

 _I believe we will know the identity of the architects of the Void Ship in moments._

The Doctor's hearts jumped into his throat. _Get out of there, Tess. I mean it, leave. Take Rose and get the hell out of there._

 _No,_ the Priestess said, stubbornly. _This may be our sole opportunity to learn who is responsible for the Void Ship. This technology, it is out of harmony with the current timeline. I cannot abide that. It is my duty. Furthermore, whoever are the architects, they are no friends of ours or the human race. Is that not what you would want from me? To shield them?_

The Doctor wanted to seize her by the shoulders and shake her until she could see how much he needed her _alive_ and safe and at his side.

 _No one, not one person, not one thing, is worth you, Annika,_ the Doctor gritted out.

Briefly, he was able to catch the ruefulness in her thoughts before they smoothened out into that flat, vapid flutter she had always shown others which he had always hated (he knew what she was thinking and that was something he couldn't abide, not even from her).

 _Now, leave. I mean it._

 _I will not_ , the Priestess said, finally.

And without a second's hesitation, her side of the bond abruptly shuttered.

The Doctor cursed in a long rush of Old High Gallifreyan that had Jackie and Yvonne blinking at him, confused. He looked down at the sonic screwdriver.

"It might be a remote transmitter but it's gotta be close by. I can trace it," He told her. A moment later, he darted off, having received a signal from the screwdriver. "Jackie, stay here!"

Yvonne followed him, her laptop lying forgotten on the desk, where Rajesh continued to speak into the webcam and the words _SPHERE ACTIVATED_ flashed on the screen.

* * *

"We've got a problem down here. Yvonne, can you hear me?" Rajesh called out, helplessly.

The Void Ship continued to vibrate.

"Yvonne, for God's sake, the sphere is active!" Rajesh shouted, frantically. "The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field, it _exists_!"

He jumped and turned around when he heard the door closing in a crash.

"The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine, we can't get out!" Rajesh shouted, rushing off.

The Priestess, Rose and Mickey were left looking up at the sphere.

"It's all right, babe," Mickey told Rose, reassuringly. "We beat them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on."

"Unfortunately, I believe you are mistaken, Mickey," The Priestess said, slowly.

Mickey frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They are no Cybermen in there," She murmured.

Mickey's eyes widened. "How do you-"

"Cybermen are not capable of building such a machine," The Priestess explained, dully. "There is some other creature in there."

The two humans behind her stumbled when there were two violent crashes from whatever was inside the Void Ship, shaking the entire chamber.

* * *

The Doctor walked down a corridor, letting his sonic screwdriver guide him, Yvonne following him.

 _Tess, for Omega's sake, will you please just answer me?_

Nothing.

 _This isn't funny or necessary or whatever you think it is, Nikki. Whatever's in that sphere could kill you dead. That's not okay. Get out of there._

Nothing.

 _Damn you, Annika. Do you always have to be so Other-damned stubborn?_ He demanded. _I know you think the whole bloody space-time continuum is on your head, but we're supposed to be in this together. You don't get to make this kind of decision, put yourself in danger like this, without talking to me!_

Yvonne stopped by two passing soldiers. "You two, you come with us." She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am."

The Doctor, Yvonne and the two soldiers reached a curtained area.

"What's down here?" The Doctor asked Yvonne, quickly.

Yvonne swallowed hard, thrown back by the question. "I don't... I dunno, I think it's building work. It's just renovations." She said, lamely.

The Doctor started forwards, pushing back the curtains. "You should go back." He said, grimly.

"Think again," Yvonne snapped.

She followed him, deliberately, gesturing for the soldiers to do the same. The Doctor stopped fiddling with the curtains as the sonic screwdriver beeped. He stared at it.

"What is it? What's down here?" Yvonne asked, worriedly.

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Ear-pieces, ear-pods, this world is colliding with another. And I think I know which one." He said, grimly.

All of a sudden, there were Cybermen behind the circle, forming an almost militant arrangement as they got into position.

"What are they?" Yvonne asked in a hushed voice.

"They came through first."

The Cybermen slit the curtains with their hands.

"The advance guard."

The Cybermen stepped through the curtains and began to march towards them.

"Cybermen," The Doctor cursed.

The two soldiers fired their bullets at the Cybermen, but it had no effect whatsoever. The Doctor and Yvonne attempted to escape another way, but they were immediately surrounded with nowhere else to go.

* * *

There was another crash from the Void Ship.

"So, what's in there?" Mickey asked, worriedly.

"No being peaceful," The Priestess drawled.

"But the Cybermen still came through," Mickey protested. "We had them beaten, but then they escaped. The Cybermen just vanished."

The Void Ship trembled again.

"They found a way through to this world, but so did we."

Rose looked at the Priestess. "I thought that was impossible."

The Priestess looked at Mickey, sternly. "It should be." She said, coldly. "Whatever you used to come to this universe has not aided the situation by any means." She scolded.

Mickey grinned, sheepishly. Rose's shoulders loosened when she saw Mickey's familiar smile. She nudged him, gently.

"It's good to see you," She whispered.

Mickey squeezed her hand. "Yeah. It's good to see you too."

Their attention was stolen by another crash from the Void Ship.

* * *

The Cybermen led the Doctor and Yvonne, whose hands were positioned behind their heads, back to the rift chamber. When the staff who had not been controlled by the Cybermen began to panic at the sight of the robots, the Doctor quickly reassured them.

"Get away from the machines. Do what they say, don't fight them!" He warned.

The Cybermen revealed their weapons and abruptly shot one of the scientists dead.

"What are they?" Jackie asked, terrified.

"We are the Cybermen. The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent."

The Cyberman clamped a fist to its chest and the lever rose once more.

" _Online_ ," The computer voiced.

"Here come the ghosts," The Doctor muttered, as the light brightened.

Rows and rows of Cybermen began to march out of the light.

* * *

"Can anyone hear me? Come on, I need help down here!" Rajesh continued to call out into his communication device, desperately.

The entire chamber was vibrating from the thundering emanating from the sphere.

"I need-"

Rajesh stopped in his tracks when the Void Ship stopped shaking. He immediately joined the Priestess, Rose and Mickey, who removed his lab coat and pulled off his ear piece.

"Here we go," Mickey squared his shoulders.

Rajesh slipped his glasses on. As the four watched, smooth cracks appeared in the Void Ship and light spilled out as it opened.

* * *

"These Zybermen, what've they got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked, desperately.

The Doctor scowled. "Do you never listen? A footprint doesn't look like a boot!" He snapped.

"Achieving full transfer."

"They're Cybermen," The Doctor growled. "All of the ghosts are Cybermen."

The Cybermen continued to march from the light, their forms slowly becoming more defined.

"Millions of them. Right across the world."

Hundreds of Cybermen stood in the light, ready for war.

"They're invading the whole planet," Yvonne said, dully, her hands shaking.

She had lost.

The Doctor snorted. "It's not an invasion, it's too late for that. It's a victory." He hissed.

The laptop started to make noise and the Doctor peered at it.

 _SPHERE ACTIVATED. SPHERE ACTIVATED. SPHERE ACTIVATED._

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck_ , the Doctor growled. _Annika, I swear to the Other, if you don't answer me, I will-_

 _I am here,_ the Priestess said, slowly. _The Void Ship is opening._

 _Get out of there, Nikki_ , the Doctor said, desperately.

 _I cannot_ , the Priestess replied.

 _For Omega's sake, Nikki, I don't have time for your bloody martyrdom_ , he snapped.

 _This is not martyrdom, fool,_ she flung back. _The doors have sealed. We are unable to leave this chamber. Moreover, I do not want to. We will have no other chance to see who created the Void Ship. I must know._

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the ends with distress.

* * *

"Wait, I've got just the thing," Mickey said, firmly, retrieving a weapon that he had been hiding under a counter, positioning himself in front of the sphere and in front of them. "This is gonna blast them to Hell."

"Samuel, what are you doing?!" Rajesh asked, incredulously.

Mickey's mouth thinned. "The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth."

He cocked the gun as the walls of the sphere parted.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "May I?" She asked, gesturing to his gun.

Mickey blinked and handed it to her. She peered at the casing and turned it over in her hands.

"Electromagnetic pulse rifle," The Priestess mused. "It will damage the circuits of the Cybermen."

Mickey nodded as she handed it back to them. "It worked on the ones back home."

Rose looked down at her hands, feeling that instinctual bite of sadness. It has only taken Mickey a few months before he was calling that other universe home (the universe with her very-much-alive father who didn't want her, but that wasn't something she was willing to waste time mulling over).

"On Cybermen, perhaps," The Priestess murmured. "Keep it at your side; do not aim it at whomever emerges from the Void Ship." She ordered.

"But-" Mickey began to protest.

The Priestess looked at him, sternly. "No, Mickey. Your weapon may not succeed, and it would only antagonise them if it fails."

"So, we just stand here and wait for them to kill us?" Rose asked, pointedly.

"If the weapon fails, they will kill us nevertheless," The Priestess replied. "It is more advantageous if we do not sour relations from the beginning itself."

* * *

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and addressed the nearest Cyberman. "What I don't understand is Cybermen don't have the technology to build the Void Ship, that's _way_ beyond you. How did you create that sphere?" He demanded.

"The sphere is not ours," The Cyberman replied, tonelessly.

 _Fuck._

"…What?" The Doctor said, stunned.

"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."

"Then what's inside it?" The Doctor muttered to himself.

 _The Cybermen aren't behind the Void Ship. They only followed it,_ he told the Priestess.

 _That dismisses one possibility_ , the Priestess drawled.

 _How are you not more concerned?_ The Doctor demanded.

 _We cannot all be as temperamental as you, beloved,_ the Priestess said, dryly.

 _I am not temperamental_ , he huffed.

 _Oh, you are, my darling, but it is a quality of yours that I care for greatly_ , the Priestess soothed.

The Doctor flinched. _Nikki, I want you out of there._ He murmured, earnestly.

 _I know, Theta, but it is not my choice,_ she pointed out.

 _It was_ , he retorted.

 _I acknowledge that,_ she replied, easily. _But when I was confined here, it occurred to me that I may have been impetuous._ She said, reluctantly. _I do not like to be confined._ She said, grimly.

The Doctor ignored the brief burn of anger at the images her last words invoked, choosing to focus on what she had said first.

 _I'm sorry, did you just admit that you were wrong?_ He asked, gleefully.

 _Perhaps this is not the occasion for your triumph, beloved_ , she said, sternly.

The Doctor grimaced. _Fair point. Just… stay safe, Nikki._

They both knew what he hadn't said: _I've lived a life without you and it was no life at all._

 _For you, I will endeavour to do so,_ the Priestess replied and fell silent, making sure to keep her end of the bond open.

She had worried him enough.

Jackie tugged at the Doctor's sleeve, then. "Rose is down there." She said, fearfully.

* * *

It was like ice in her veins when the Priestess saw familiar burnt-gold domes emerged from the sphere.

She stood there, robbed of breath, as they descended, gliding smoothly. All she heard were the high-pitched sounds of those Omega-damned gunsticks firing and those she loved dying immediately. Their choppy, mechanical voices, thin with cruelty, as she suffered on the ground, surrounded by dead.

Her people, her family, _her children,_ gunned down like dogs in the street, all because of one being's hate.

She'd kill every one of them if she could – claw at whatever evil flesh resided within that metal casing with her own fingers if she were given the chance.

"The Other save us," She rasped, sliding forwards gracefully until she was standing in front of the humans.

They were frail compared to her, and the Daleks were not known for their mercy.

"That's not Cybermen..." Mickey muttered, his hand twitching on the gun.

"Oh my God," Rose whispered.

"Location: Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!"

Mickey took that as a good sign and aimed his gun at them, Rose clutching at his arm and staring at the Daleks in wide-eyed fear.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

 **A/N** : And there we have the end of _Army of Ghosts._ Just two more chapters to go, and that'll be the end of this story. I hope you liked it though, I tried to showcase more of a dialogue between each of the characters instead of just introspection. Plus, I also wanted to deal with the PTSD that the Priestess must be suffering as well. It's something that I allude to quite a bit, but I wanted to draw more attention to it now and especially in the next two chapters.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	26. Doomsday: The Uninvited

**A/N** : Here's the first chapter of _Doomsday_. Be prepared for a hell of a lot of angst!

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Angst. Language. Discussion of Child Death and Imprisonment.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 26**

 **Doomsday: The Uninvited**

" _The Other save us," She rasped, sliding forwards gracefully until she was standing in front of the humans._

 _They were frail compared to her, and the Daleks were not known for their mercy._

" _That's not Cybermen..." Mickey muttered, his hand twitching on the gun._

" _Oh my God," Rose whispered._

" _Location: Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!"_

 _Mickey took that as a good sign and aimed his gun at them, Rose clutching at his arm and staring at the Daleks in wide-eyed fear._

" _Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"_

The Daleks advanced on the four of them, chanting their death cry.

"Enough!" The Priestess snapped. "Daleks, that is enough."

The four fell silent, taken aback by how the Priestess had identified them correctly. One of them, bravely, black where its force was gold, rolled forwards, and the Priestess pushed down every urge inside her to flinch – she would not show these monsters her distress – they did not deserve it.

"This female registers as enemy," It intoned.

"Yes," The Priestess' smile was grim and bloodless. "That is true."

"How do you know what we are?" It demanded.

"That is peculiar, is it not?" She mused. "Now, how would I know what you are? How would I know that you lost the Time War? Miserably, in fact."

"Identify yourself!"

"No," The Priestess shook her head. "If I identify myself, you will kill me, and my companions. No, I believe I will make you wait. If you would like to know my identity, you will simply have to keep us alive. All of us." She stressed.

"Yeah, Daleks. Time War. Me too," Rose added, bravely.

Mickey nodded, furiously. "Yeah, me too."

The Dalek's eye-stalk swivelled around to stare at Rose and Mickey, as if daring them to lie to its face.

"Yeah, and me," Rajesh said, quickly.

The Dalek focused its attention on the Priestess, who stared back at it steadily. "You will be necessary." It turned back to one of the other Daleks behind it. "Report, what is the status of the Genesis Ark?"

The Priestess' eyes widened, but she didn't interrupt the Dalek to ask it where in the Other's name had they found a Genesis Ark. The Time Lords had been the architects of the Genesis Arks, for the purposes of storing enemies to Gallifrey and those who had wreaked havoc on the space-time continuum, but they had died so long ago that these Daleks could have only stolen one from a Time Lord ship before the Time War had ended.

"Status: hibernation."

"Commence awakening," The black Dalek ordered.

"The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else."

The Dalek turned to the Genesis Ark, with its conic gold casing, which also emerged from the sphere, floating in mid-air before landing on the ground, in between the circle of Daleks. The first Dalek clamped its suction arm to the side of the Ark.

Rose stepped forwards, until she was practically pressed against the Priestess' back. "I thought the Daleks were supposed to be dead. And what the hell's a Genesis Ark?" She muttered.

"Clearly, they must have survived," The Priestess said, dully.

She had thought, with the Time War finished and Satellite 5 bearing nothing more than memories, that all of Davros' children had perished. She had prayed to the Other to make it so (they deserved no mercy, not from her, not after what they had taken from her). But they were like shadows, clinging onto the corners of her world, determined to destroy whatever peace she forged for herself. While everyone and everything she loved had fallen to their hate, _those monsters_ had clung to life and continued to murder their way across the stars, bringing the same horror they had brought to her to so many other beings in the universe.

Where was the justice in that?

* * *

Jackie sidled up close to the Doctor. "What's down there? She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?" She asked, worriedly.

The Doctor stared straight ahead. The Priestess had fallen silent after promising him to stay alive (Annika didn't make promises she didn't want to keep), but the bond had gone completely cold moments later.

Something had happened. Something had scared her, and she had wanted to protect him from it ( _damn her, damn her, damn her_ ), so she had closed her side of the bond, because that was what Annika did. She protected him, even if at the cost to herself. And he loved her for it, _loved_ that she loved him so much that she wanted him safe. But he didn't understand why she couldn't comprehend that he wanted the same for her. He had failed her before, failed their children (he saw it, sometimes, in her eyes, the question – _why did you leave us, why did you leave them to die?_ – maybe it was his own guilt mirrored in her gaze), before. All he had wanted, since he had pulled her from those ropes in Van Statten's museum, was to keep her from harm. And he had failed _again_.

 _She's alive. If she were dead, I would know_ , the Doctor reminded himself, over and over again. _If she were dead, I would have felt it._

 _Nikki,_ He reached out hesitantly over the bond. _Please, Nikki, please tell me you're okay._ He would've sobbed it out if he could've, if it would've made a difference.

"I don't know," He replied, dully, to Jackie's question.

Jackie started to cry, silently, beside him. The Doctor wished he could do the same. Whatever the woman's faults, however much he didn't like her, he knew that she truly loved her daughter. He gritted his teeth against the well of emotion and went over to her.

"I'll find her," The Doctor swore. "I brought you here, I'll get you both out. You and your daughter. Jackie, look at me. Look at me." He said, urgently. Jackie looked up at him, her eyes red from tears. "I promise you. I give you my word." He said, sincerely.

A Cyberman approached Yvonne, who was seated at her desk.

"You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender," It ordered.

Yvonne scoffed. "Oh, do some research. We haven't _got_ a central world authority." She snapped, without a trace of fear.

The Cyberman was nonplussed. "You have now. I will speak on all global wavelengths."

The Doctor absentmindedly slid on his 3D glasses.

"This broadcast is for human kind. Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us.

The Doctor, Jackie, Yvonne and the Cyberman looked out of the window of Torchwood Tower, seeing all of the people on the streets running away, screaming. There was absolute pandemonium down there – soldiers rolled up in trucks and shot at the Cybermen and were killed in turn, until one soldier managed to hit a Cyberman and it went up in flames.

The Cyberman looked at the Doctor, almost confused. "I ordered surrender."

The Doctor scowled. "They're not taking instructions. Don't you understand? You're on every street, you're in their homes. You've got their children." He retorted, angrily. "Of course, they're gonna fight."

* * *

The black Dalek turned to the Priestess, waving its eye-stalk at her. "Which of you is least important?" It demanded.

"No," The Priestess shook her head, firmly. "That is not how this works."

"Designate the least important!"

"This is my responsibility," Rajesh said, bravely, stepping forwards.

"No," The Priestess warned, reaching out to pull him back.

Rajesh ignored her and stood before the Dalek, hesitantly. "I-I represent the Torchwood Institute. Anything you need, you... come through me. Leave these three alone."

"You will kneel," One of the Daleks ordered.

Rajesh frowned. "What for?"

The Priestess grimaced. There was nothing she could do for the man now, not at the expense of Rose and Mickey's lives.

"Kneel," The Dalek repeated.

Rose tugged on the Priestess' arm. "What are they going to do to him?" She whispered, pressing close to the other woman.

Whether she liked it or not, Rose appreciated that the Priestess was their only protection right now.

"The manipulator arm of a Dalek has the ability of acting as a swift intelligence scan. However, considering the amount of information they need from him, it will crush his skull in the attempt, turn him into nothing but a husk," The Priestess muttered back.

"We have to help him," Rose hissed.

"We _cannot_ ," The Priestess snapped. "They will attack us afterwards."

The four Daleks directed their eye-stalks onto a kneeling Rajesh.

"The Daleks need information about current Earth history," The front Dalek explained.

Rajesh knitted his brow. "Yeah, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise homeland security-"

"Speech is not necessary. We will extract brainwaves."

"Look away," The Priestess warned the other two.

The three Daleks advanced upon Rajesh, their manipulator arms poised around his head. Rajesh began to cringe in fear, realising that this would not be a painless process.

"Don't... I-I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!" Rajesh began to shout as the manipulator arms expanded around the man's skull and began to crush the bones inward, just as the Priestess had predicted.

Mickey made to help him, but Rose and the Priestess held him back, knowing there was no use.

A blackened husk dropped to the ground, once the Daleks were finished. The three stared at what remained of Rajesh Singh and the Priestess glared at the Daleks, hatefully.

This only proved what monsters the Daleks were.

"His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts," The black Dalek said aloud.

Rose gritted her teeth. "You didn't need to _kill_ him!" She snapped.

"Neither did we need him alive," One of the Daleks replied, blithely.

"Dalek Thay, investigate outside," The black Dalek ordered.

Dalek Thay rolled out from behind the black Dalek. "I obey."

The Priestess frowned. _They have names? Daleks do not possess names._

* * *

In the rift chamber, a Cyberman reared up and addressed the other members of its force.

"Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber," It informed the others.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"Cybermen will investigate."

A Cyberman pushed two terrified members of staff roughly in front of it.

"Units 1065 and 1066 will investigate sphere chamber," It ordered, clearly the leader of this face.

"We obey."

* * *

"Where did you find a Genesis Ark?" The Priestess demanded.

The black Dalek turned to her. "What do you know of the Genesis Ark?"

"I know that the Time Lords manufactured the Genesis Arks and they all perished during the Time War, as should you have. How did you survive and where did you find a Genesis Ark?"

"We are the Cult of Skaro," The black Dalek informed her and the Priestess bit back her shock. "At the end of the Time War, we escaped into the space between universes, along with the Genesis Ark. We were not caught in the destruction of the Dalek fleet. Before we escaped into the Void, we stole the Time Lord prison ship known as the Genesis Ark."

" _You_ are the Cult of Skaro," The Priestess said, dully.

"What's the Cult of Skaro?" Mickey asked her.

"They are a secret order of Daleks, a force created by the Emperor to even take precedence over him, for the purposes of furthering the Dalek cause," The Priestess explained. Her mouth was in a thin line, pale and angry. "Until I helped destroy that cause."

 _Happily,_ she thought viciously.

"Where did you procure this information?" The black Dalek demanded. "Identify yourself!"

"You have a name for me, on Skaro. Your creator was often fond of this name," The Priestess said, coldly. "There, I am known as Lady Oracle."

The four Daleks rolled backwards, in an instinctual show of fear, which brought a smile – albeit one that was savage and deliberate – to the Priestess' face.

* * *

"Units open visual link," The head Cyberman ordered.

A visual of the corridor containing the two Cybermen appeared on Yvonne's laptop.

"Visual contact established."

* * *

"Establish visual contact. Lower communications barrier," The black Dalek ordered.

A projection appeared in mid-air, showing surveillance from Dalek Thay's point of view, as it encountered the two Cybermen in the corridor.

* * *

The Doctor swore, lowly, when he saw the Dalek for the first time on Yvonne's laptop.

 _This is what you were hiding from me,_ the Doctor demanded. _This is not okay._

 _I apologise,_ the Priestess replied, guiltily, finally loosening her hold on her end of the bond. _I was not aware our enemy would be them._ She spat out the last word as if it hurt to even think it.

 _Are you alright_? The Doctor asked, sharply.

 _Yes, I am unhurt. As is Rose and Mickey,_ the Priestess replied.

 _Mickey? Where did Mickey come into this? How is he even here?_ The Doctor asked, confused.

 _The Cybermen have come through from the parallel universe that we encountered all those months ago, and Mickey apparently came through with them,_ the Priestess told him.

 _What about the Daleks? What's going on there?_ The Doctor was almost scared to ask.

 _They were inside the Void Ship. There are four of them. The Cult of Skaro._

 _What?_ The Doctor demanded, ignoring the sudden wave of cold that hit him abruptly at the name. _The Cult of Skaro? But, how-how did they escape?_

 _They escaped long before the Time War ended,_ the Priestess replied, derisively. _They stole a Genesis Ark before absconding into the Void Ship._

 _What the hell is a Genesis Ark?_ The Doctor demanded.

 _A Gallifreyan prison ship,_ the Priestess explained, vaguely.

 _A Gallifreyan prison ship, full of Daleks?_ The Doctor guessed, grimacing.

 _I would assume so, as it was stolen during the Time War,_ the Priestess paused. _They know of my identity._

The Doctor frowned. _You told them?_

 _I wanted to see them frightened,_ the Priestess replied, coldly. _I wanted them to cringe away from me in fear, knowing what I have done to their people and what I am capable of doing unto them now._

 _Tess, tell me you're okay,_ the Doctor pleaded. _You and the Daleks, I… I just need you to be safe._

 _They have not killed me yet, so I am in acceptable condition,_ the Priestess drawled. _And I have no intention of allowing them to simply murder me and be on their way._

 _That is not what I meant, and you know it_ , the Doctor shot back. _They scared you and it's okay to admit it,_ he said, gently.

 _They did not scare me,_ the Priestess said, affronted.

 _You're all over the place. Don't lie to me. I can see it,_ the Doctor accused.

And it was true. Her emotions were a maelstrom in his head. If he were a weaker telepath and he hadn't spent nine-hundred years sheltered in her mind, it would've given him a blinding migraine, but he was stronger than that.

 _This is not fear,_ the Priestess snapped, both offended and hurt that he would think her so weak. _This is rage. This is incredulity. This is hate. But this is not fear. They do not deserve my fear. And do not assume me to be so pathetic._

 _Tess, don't you dare close the bond on me,_ the Doctor warned, seeing that her end would soon shutter.

 _I was not about to,_ the Priestess replied, skilfully, although both of them knew she was lying through her teeth.

 _I didn't mean that you were weak. You know I would never imply that,_ the Doctor said, firmly. _But you weren't expecting them, and you hate them, you're allowed to be caught on the wrong foot._

 _And you? Do you not hate them as well?_ The Priestess demanded. _They are monsters, who know nothing but murder. They slaughtered our people, destroyed our world. They killed our children, our granddaughter._

 _I remember,_ the Doctor said, darkly.

 _You do not seem affected by their presence,_ the Priestess retorted.

 _Don't tell me how I fell,_ the Doctor snapped. _You closed the bond on me. You have no idea how I felt when I saw that Dalek in the corridor._

The Priestess grimaced, knowing she had no reply to that. It had been careless and reckless of her to close the bond on her end. She had listened to his pleas and deliberately ignored him – not maliciously, of course, but it could be called cruel.

 _You have your sonic lipstick; can you unseal the doors?_ The Doctor asked, his voice softening.

He didn't want to argue with her, not now, not when so much was at stake.

 _There are three other Daleks here. If we attempt to flee, they will kill all three of us,_ the Priestess reminded him.

 _Right,_ the Doctor made a face. _What do we do now, then?_

 _I do not know,_ the Priestess whispered. _Shall we let this come to pass? The Cybermen and the Daleks will not take well to each other. They may destroy each other._

 _And take out the human race in the process,_ the Doctor reminded her.

 _I apologise, are you in possession of another strategy?_ The Priestess asked, sharply.

 _Well, no,_ the Doctor admitted, grudgingly. _Can you stall them?_

 _Stall them with what?_ The Priestess demanded. _They know who I am. They are aware that I am their enemy and I would not hesitate to destroy all of them if I were presented with the opportunity. If they have not killed me yet, there are simply waiting for a more opportune time. What would you have me do?_

 _Okay, fair point,_ the Doctor sighed. _Maybe we do have to just let this play out. See what happens, and then make a plan._

 _I imagine that is our only option at this moment,_ the Priestess agreed.

" _Identify yourselves_ ," Dalek Thay demanded.

" _You will identify first_ ," The Cybermen returned.

" _State your identity_ ," Dalek Thay ordered.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. Just hearing their off-pitch thin voice made his fists clench.

" _You will identify first_ ," The Cybermen repeated.

" _Identify_!" Dalek Thay ordered, shrilly.

" _... illogical, you will modify_ ," The Cybermen corrected.

" _Daleks do not take orders._ "

" _You have identified as Daleks._ "

" _Outline resembles the inferior species known as 'Cybermen'._ "

Jackie tugged on the Doctor's arm and his attention was briefly diverted from the spectacle on the projection.

"Rose said about the Daleks," Jackie whispered. "She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?" She asked him, her voice so thin that it was as if she feared the answer.

The Doctor rounded on her, his features tense with concern and anger. "She's not dead. _They're_ not dead."

It wasn't a possibility he would allow himself to contemplate.

She would survive this. _They_ would survive this. The Daleks weren't allowed to take anything else from him. Not again.

Jackie clapped her hands over her mouth. "How do you know?" She demanded, quietly.

The Doctor scowled. "Jackie, I could take the time to explain it to you, or you could just trust me." He snapped. "I just don't understand why they haven't killed them yet." He wondered out loud, more to himself than as a topic of conversation.

"Well, don't complain!" Jackie hissed.

The Doctor shook his head. "They must need them for something."

 _The Genesis Ark,_ the Priestess answered him of her own accord, having slipped inside his mind and watched through his own eyes.

The Doctor frowned. _What about it?_

 _It requires the touch of a time traveller to open it,_ the Priestess explained. _Rose, Mickey and I are all prime candidates._

 _What the hell is this Genesis Ark_? The Doctor growled.

 _A Genesis Ark is a prison ship crafted on Gallifrey._

 _Yeah, you said that already. Does that mean there's a prisoner inside there?_ The Doctor wondered.

 _Prisoners_ , the Priestess emphasised. _It was crafted by us, Theta. I believe they are dimensionally transcendental. And since the Cult of Skaro seized the Genesis Ark during the Time War, I can only imagine how many Daleks are contained inside._

 _Fuck,_ the Doctor cursed. _This is why you were so worried, isn't it?_

 _Unfortunately,_ the Priestess conceded.

 _So, they've kept you alive-_

 _As they require me to open the Ark,_ the Priestess finished.

" _Our species our similar, though your design is inelegant_ ," The Cybermen told Dalek Thay.

" _Daleks have no concept of elegance,_ " Dalek Thay replied.

" _This is obvious. But consider, our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks – together, we could upgrade the Universe_."

" _You propose an alliance?_ " Dalek Thay asked the Cybermen.

" _This is correct._ "

" _Request denied_ ," Dalek Thay said immediately.

The Cybermen immediately aimed their guns at the lone Dalek.

" _Hostile elements will be deleted_."

The rays from their gun landed on the Dalek, but simply bounced off its armour.

" _Exterminate_!" Dalek Thay screeched.

Its exterminator gun fired at both Cybermen, one after the other, and they collapsed onto the floor.

The Cyberman inside the rift chamber with the Doctor, Jackie and Yvonne turned to the others of its force.

"Open visual link," It ordered.

* * *

Inside the sphere chamber, the Cyberman leader addressed the Daleks through the projection screen.

"Daleks, be warned: you have declared war upon the Cybermen," The Cyberman leader told them.

"This is not war. This is pest control," The black Dalek replied, unconcerned.

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?" The Cyberman demanded.

"Four," The Dalek replied.

"You would destroy the Cybermen with _four_ Daleks?!" It's monotoned, mechanical voice was full of disbelief.

"We would destroy the Cybermen with _one_ Dalek. You are superior in only one respect," The black Dalek scoffed.

"What is that?"

"You are better at dying. Raise communications barrier!"

The screen went static, but just as it did, one of the gold Daleks wheeled forward.

"Wait!" It ordered. "Rewind image by nine rells."

The Priestess held her breath. In the frame the Dalek had focused upon, they could all see the Doctor in the presence of the Cybermen.

"Identify grid seven gamma frame."

They zoomed in on the Doctor.

"This male registers as enemy."

Mickey and Rose beamed, and the Priestess took a deep breath.

The black Dalek turn to Rose and the Priestess. "The females' heartbeats have increased," It commented. Its eye-stalk focused on the Priestess. "You will identify the male."

Rose's face twisted when the Dalek commented upon the Priestess' reaction to the Doctor. With the Daleks already focusing on the Priestess like she was someone so important, she really didn't need the confirmation that the Priestess was, at the very least, attracted to the Doctor. It would just be another roadblock when it came to her proving to the Doctor that they could be good together (the Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS – it had such a nice ring to it), and she already felt like she had lost some of her upper hand in the last few months.

"Identify yourself first," The Priestess replied, unconcerned by the Daleks' demands or the potential for their deaths (she was just good at hiding it). "And then I may acquiesce to your request. The one that left to encounter the Cybermen is Dalek Thay."

The black Dalek rolled forwards. "I am Dalek Sec."

"Dalek Jast," Dalek Jast said, dutifully.

"Dalek Caan," Dalek Caan also replied.

Dalek Sec's eye-stalk pushed into the Priestess' personal space. "Now you will identify the male."

The Priestess sighed. "As you wish. That is the Doctor."

Much as they had when they heard her epithet, the three Daleks rolled backwards sharply.

It made the Priestess smile, just as she had when the Daleks had cringed away from her. She wanted them to fear her. She wanted them to think that she could snap her fingers at any moment and destroy them where they stood. The Daleks thrived on their victims' fear. They deserved to feel that fear as well.

"You have many names for him, do you not? I heard one, as early as his second regeneration, all those centuries ago: _ka faraq gatri_ ," She leaned forwards. "The destroyer of worlds."

The Daleks remained surprisingly silent.

"Five million Cybermen were an afterthought to you. But the Doctor and I, together, defying you? You are terrified," The Priestess smiled. "I will ensure that you remain so."

* * *

"Quarantine the Sphere Chamber. Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel," The Cybermen leader told the other members of his force.

Yvonne started shouting and struggling when the Cybermen seized her by the arms and dragged her away.

"No, you can't do this!" She shrieked. "We surrendered! We surrendered!" She said, desperately.

They began to drag Jackie and the Doctor away as well for upgrading, but the Doctor was suddenly saved.

"This one's increased adrenaline suggests he has vital Dalek information," The Cyberman holding the Doctor told its leader.

Jackie screamed in protest as she was dragged away. "You promised me! You gave me your word!" She accused the Doctor.

The Doctor gritted his teeth, wishing with everything inside him that he could do something to help her.

"I'll think of something!" He shouted back at her as she was dragged out of sight.

* * *

Dalek Thay re-entered the sphere chamber.

"Cyber threat irrelevant. Concentrate on the Genesis Ark," Dalek Thay told the others.

Dalek Sec pressed its manipulator arm to one side of the Genesis Ark.

Mickey stepped forwards, huddled against the Priestess' side. "Why are we being kept alive?"

"The Genesis Ark is only able to be opened by a time traveller," The Priestess replied, quietly. "We are all possible contenders."

"What are we going to do?" Rose asked, fearfully. "How do we even get out of this?"

"Wait," The Priestess replied, simply. "We must wait."

* * *

The Doctor was sitting on the window sill of the rift chamber in silence. He could feel the Priestess' distress and anger and worry thumping around in his skull and he hated how trapped he was. He should be there with her, by her side, holding her hand – that was how they were always supposed to do everything.

And he had failed her.

A Cyberman approached him.

"You are proof," It said, simply.

The Doctor frowned. "Of what?"

"That emotions destroy you."

The Doctor couldn't help the mournful smile, thinking of the Priestess and her savage beauty in the face of fear and death (Omega, how he loved that woman). "Yeah, I am," He said, dully, glancing to the side. "Mind you, I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion. And here it comes."

The Cyberman followed his gaze to find a group of people, dressed in black suits, wearing helmets and carrying guns, appear out of thin air. There was a sharp command and they all began to shoot at a row of Cybermen, their guns immediately destroying them. The Doctor dodged the rays and crouched in a corner of Yvonne's office as the last Cyberman was decapitated. The man who had uttered the command stepped forwards.

"Doctor, good to see you again," The man said, cheerfully, taking his helmet off to reveal Jake.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Jake?!" He exclaimed.

"The Cybermen came through from one world to another, and so did we," Jake replied to the Doctor's unasked question.

The Doctor stared at him and it took a moment, but the dread and realisation settled in his bones and he had the sudden urge to wring the neck of any human who had ever thought it a good idea to travel between universes as if it were as simple as taking the Tube.

 _Nikki, I think we have another problem._

 _And here I was of the belief that our day would be restful_ , the Priestess replied, dryly. _What is it now?_

 _It seems that Mickey's not our only parallel universe traveller. Jake's here too._

The Priestess vaguely remembered a young, boyish face with shortly-cropped blonde hair and resisted the urge to groan.

 _I beg you to tell me you are japing,_ the Priestess said, roughly.

 _Sorry, babe,_ the Doctor conceded.

"Defend this room. Christie, monitor communications," Jake told the rest of his group.

The Doctor slipped on his 3D glasses, using them to inspect the group that had just appeared.

"Kill one Cyber Leader and they just download into another. Move!" Jake ordered.

They hurried from the room to do as they were ordered, leaving the Doctor alone with Jake.

"You can't just-just-just _hop_ from one world to another. You _can't_ ," The Doctor said, insistently.

Jake stared at him, blankly. "We just did. With these."

He chucked a large yellow button on a chain to the Doctor.

 _A dimension transporter,_ the Doctor told the Priestess.

 _That is impossible_ , the Priestess said adamantly.

The Doctor looked down at it, sceptically. "But that's impossible. You can't have this sort of technology." He said, urgently.

Jake shrugged. "We've got our own version of Torchwood. They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?" He asked, cheerfully.

"No!" The Doctor exclaimed.

But Jake had already pressed the button and the Doctor heard the Priestess' scream ring through his head as he was sucked into a vacuum.

The Doctor and Jake reappeared in the rift chamber of a very different Torchwood, this room considerably darker and messier than the one he had just been inside, with wires and equipment strewn all over the floor, as if there had been a recent struggle.

"Parallel Earth, parallel Torchwood. Except we found out what the institute was doing, and the people's republic took control," Jake explained.

"I've gotta get back," The Doctor said, urgently. He could no longer feel the Priestess in his mind. The bond wasn't even there. It was as if she had never been his (he didn't want to think of the other possible explanation – he knew it wasn't true and there was no point in fretting over something _that couldn't be true_ ). "Tess is in danger. Rose is in danger. And her mother."

Pete Tyler strode inside, followed by two soldiers. "That'd be Jackie," He said, flatly.

The Doctor looked up at surprise but kept his mouth shut.

"My wife in a parallel universe," Pete continued. "And as for you, Doctor, at least this time I know who you are."

The Doctor rushed over to him. "Right, yes, fine, hooray. But I've gotta get back. Right now."

"No," Pete said, maddeningly calm.

The Doctor had the sudden urge to throttle him.

"You're not in charge here. This is our world, not yours. And you're gonna listen for once."

The Doctor stared at him darkly, gritting his teeth to keep him from saying anything.

* * *

Whilst the Daleks were preoccupied with the Genesis Ark, Mickey showed Rose and the Priestess his own dimensional transporter.

"I could transport out of here, but it only carries one and I'm not leaving you two," Mickey said, firmly.

"You'd follow me anywhere," Rose said, fondly. "What did I do to you all those years ago?" She asked, almost self-flagellating.

Mickey shrugged and gave her a lovelorn smile. "Guess I'm just stupid."

Rose squeezed his hand. She had missed him desperately. "You're the bravest man I've ever met." She said, adamantly.

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "What about the Doctor?" He smirked.

Rose's lips twitched. "Oh, all right. Bravest human." She amended, teasingly.

The Priestess scoffed. "The Doctor is not brave. He is a fool that is often fortunate. That is all." She jumped to her feet from where she had been sitting down on the steps in front of the Void Ship.

"That's not fair," Rose retorted. "The Doctor's plenty brave."

"The Doctor never intends to become involved in monumental events. They simply occur in his midst and he has the tendency to argue with beings who are very much willing to kill him," The Priestess told her, dryly. "To you, that may seem brave. To me, he is simply foolish."

Her words seemed harsh, but anyone could see she had nothing but affection for the Doctor.

"And if you attempt to use your device, Mickey, I fear I will do something incredibly destructive towards it," She told him, sternly.

Mickey frowned, confused. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"I fear you and your companions have contributed to our current situation," She told him, lowly.

"Companions? But-"

"It would appear Jake has already travelled to this universe and seized the Doctor, taking him back to yours," The Priestess explained. "Rest assured, I am not pleased that you have all played a part in destabilising the walls of our two universes."

"Hey, leave him alone, what's he done?" Rose demanded, shouldering Mickey as if he needed her support.

"Those devices – dimensional transporters – are not as innocent as they would seem," The Priestess gestured to the big yellow button in his hand. "Every use of them creates a new rift in the walls of both universes. The more rifts there are, the more effortless it is that the walls of both universes shatter and the sooner it is that both universes fall into the Void."

"So, not a good thing then?" Mickey said, weakly.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "No."

Mickey sighed. "Fine." He slipped the yellow button over his head and placed it beside him on the ground.

Rose scowled at the Priestess. "You didn't have to be so mean. He didn't know what he was doing." She protested.

"Were you not listening when the Doctor and I both informed you of how dangerous it was to travel between parallel universes. Even if it were possible, it would not be done for a reason. Had our people still lived, the situation would be different, but not anymore. It is not blame that falls upon Mickey, but whoever crafted these devices knowing that it would put both universes in danger, and you _cannot_ ignore the peril in which we are."

Mickey's shoulders slumped. "Fair point." He looked slyly at the Daleks who were still huddled around the Genesis Ark. "I can't think what the Daleks need with me. I'm nothing to them."

"You are a time traveller," The Priestess reminded him. "Whether your stay in the TARDIS was long or short, you have still travelled through time."

"What does that matter?" Mickey asked, confused.

"The Genesis Ark was made by my people," The Priestess told him and Rose. "A safeguard was built into much of our technology in order to prevent misuse. The technology would need to be activated by a time traveller, which, at the time, limited the possible operators to Time Lords. As such, now, the Daleks require a time traveller to open the Genesis Ark."

"What's so special about time travellers? How would the Ark even know if the person was a time traveller or not?"

Rose's eyes dawned with realisation. "It's just like that first time I saw a Dalek, the first time I met you, in Van Statten's museum," She looked at the Priestess and saw the other woman's momentary flinch at the mention of her captivity, immediately feeling bad for bringing up memories (she never wanted to think of what that monster had done to the Priestess for thirty years – it made her dislike for the woman seem so petty in comparison). "The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was dying. But I touched it. The moment I did that... I brought it back to life."

The Priestess nodded. "When you travel in the TARDIS, you begin to absorb larger amounts of artron energy, which is a form of ambient radiation found in the time vortex. While it is completely harmless to humans, during the Time War, the Daleks further developed their technology in order to make use of artron energy as a power source."

"So, what's inside?" Mickey asked, staring at the Genesis Ark over the Priestess' shoulder.

Dalek Sec rounded on the three. "The future." It answered for the Priestess.

* * *

The Doctor was pressed up against the white expanse of wall in the parallel version of Torchwood, squinting as if trying to hear something, while Pete stood behind him. If the Doctor closed his eyes, he could hear Annika's voice, as if she were standing right there, next to him (you didn't spend nine-hundred years with someone, have them in your head like a constant rhythm, and not memorise the resonance, pace, tone, accent, inflection, volume and pitch of their voice), but he couldn't hear her in his head and that was such a fierce loss that he wondered how he'd ever survived that time between the Time War and when he had found her in Van Statten's museum.

"When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen. So, we sealed them inside the factories," Pete explained.

The Doctor stepped away from the wall, shaking his head free of Annika (if he continued to think of her, then he'd never get anything done).

"Except people argued. Said they were living. We should _help_ them," Jake scoffed, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe the stupidity of humans.

The Doctor understood that better than most.

"And the debate went on. But all that time, the Cybermen made plans. Infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "When was this?" He demanded.

"Three years ago," Pete replied.

They strolled back down the room.

"It's taken them three years to cross the void, but we can pop to and fro in a second," The Doctor murmured. "Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once."

"Yeah," Pete rolled his eyes. "Mickey said you'd rattle off that sort of stuff." He paused. "He went ahead first. Any chance to go and find Miss Rose Tyler."

"I know; Tess told me," The Doctor waved off. But then an idea occurred to him. He took a step forward, focusing on Pete. "She's your daughter. You do know that? Did Mickey explain?" He asked, carefully.

Pete tensed. "She's not mine. She's the child of a dead man." He said, pointedly.

They had finally reached the window, and the two looked down at the ground below.

"Look at it. A world of peace. They're calling this 'The Golden Age'."

"Who's the President now?" The Doctor asked, curiously.

"A woman called Harriet Jones."

The Doctor blew out a breath. "I'd keep an eye on her."

"But it's a lie. Temperatures have risen by two degrees in the past six months. The ice caps are melting. They're saying all this is gonna be flooded. That's not just global warming, is it?" Pete said, knowingly.

"No," The Doctor replied, firmly.

"It's the breach."

The Doctor scowled. "I've been trying to tell you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible. Then the Daleks break down the walls with the sphere..."

Pete frowned. "Daleks?" He said, bewildered.

"Then the Cybermen travelled across, then you lot, those disks, every time you jump from one reality to another, you rip a hole in the universe. This planet is starting to boil. Keep going and _both_ worlds will fall into the Void," The Doctor snapped.

"But you can stop it, the famous Doctor...?" Pete said, pointedly. "You can seal the breach?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Leaving five million Cybermen stranded on my Earth."

 _With Tess right there. Like Hell._

"That's your problem. I'm protecting this world, and this world only," Pete said, firmly.

The Doctor laughed softly, unable to believe what he was hearing, and looked him up and down. He took a step closer.

 _For Annika, I could do anything. I could say anything. It would be worth it._

"Hm... Pete Tyler... I knew you when you were dead. Now here you are, fighting the fight... alone..." He leaned forwards. "There is a chance... back on my world... Jackie Tyler might still be alive." He said, provocatively.

Pete's mouth thinned. "My wife died."

"Her husband died. Good match," The Doctor drawled.

 _I need to get back to Nikki. She needs me. This isn't lying. All I'm doing is pushing him in the right direction. For all I know, they could be a good match._

 _It's worth it, to get back to Nikki._

"There's more important things at stake," Pete shook his head. "Doctor… help us." He pleaded.

The Doctor backed away. "What? Close the breach? Stop the Cybermen? Defeat the Daleks? Do you believe I can do that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Pete said, confidently.

The Doctor softened. "Maybe that's all I need." He gave the other man a bright grin. "Off we go, then!"

* * *

The Doctor, Jake and Pete appeared in the middle of the emptied rift chamber, with a number of soldiers, and the Doctor rushed to the phone.

"First of all, I need to make a phone call. You don't mind?" The Doctor didn't stop to wait for an answer.

Jake turned to the soldiers. "You two, guard to door."

Pete watched the Doctor as he hurriedly dialled Jackie's number on the phone in Yvonne's office.

" _Help me! Oh, my God, help me,_ " Jackie's voice was strained and high-pitched, as if she were in the middle of running for her life.

"Jackie, you're alive! Listen-"

He rolled his eyes, hushing her as she screeched hysterically down the phone at him.

" _They tried to download me, but I ran away!_ "

"Listen, tell me, where are you?" The Doctor asked, quickly, talking over the top of her.

" _I don't know! Staircase._ "

"Yeah, which one?" The Doctor pushed. "Is there any-any sort of sign? Anything to identify it?"

" _Yes! A fire extinguisher!_ "

The Doctor wanted to mutter something unfavourable under his breath. "Yeah, that helps..." He said, sarcastically.

" _Oh, wait a minute, it says 'N3'_."

The Doctor reared back, something determined set in his expression. "North corner, staircase 3. Just keep low, we're trying our best _._ "

" _No, don't leave me!_ " Jackie said, quickly.

"I've gotta go, I'm sorry." The Doctor put the phone down and turned to Pete. "Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler."

"She's not my wife," Pete retorted, although there was something uncertain and hopeful in his eyes the minute he had heard Jackie's voice.

The Doctor smirked. "I was at the wedding." His voice dropped low. "You got her name wrong." He went over to Jake and took his gun off him. "Now then, Jake-y boy, if I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on polycarbide."

"What's polycarbide?" Jake asked, curiously.

"Skin of a Dalek."

* * *

The Doctor popped a white shit of A4 paper attached to a stick around the corner and followed a few seconds later.

"Sorry," He said, sheepishly.

The Cybermen a short way down the corridor spun around to look at him.

"No white flag. I only had a sheet of A4. Same difference," The Doctor apologised.

The Cyberman held its fist before it, ready to shoot. "Do you surrender?"

The Doctor marched forwards, determinedly, to meet the Cyberman. "I surrender. Unto you." They were almost nose-to-nose. "A very good idea."

The Doctor grinned.

* * *

The Daleks finally backed away from the Genesis Ark.

"Final stage of awakening," Dalek Caan declared.

The Priestess took a deep breath. "You will stay behind me," She told Rose and Mickey quietly.

Dalek Sec rounded on her. "Your handprint will open the Ark."

The Priestess squared her shoulders and tipped her head up in defiance. "No." She said, simply.

"Obey or the humans will die," Dalek Sec pointed its gunstick threateningly in Rose and Mickey's direction.

The Priestess took a deep breath and began to slowly approach the Ark.

"Wait, Tess, you can't let them," Rose protested.

"Tess, don't!" Mickey added.

"Place your hand upon the casket," Dalek Sec ordered.

The Priestess gritted her teeth but stopped when she was inches away from the Ark, when she heard Rose's voice.

"Wait!" Rose shouted, hoping that she would be able to stall them successfully. The Daleks turned to her. The Doctor must be on his way; he wouldn't leave them here to die. "If you um... escaped the Time War... don't you want to know what happened?" She said, carefully.

"Rose, do not-" The Priestess began to protest, knowing that whatever the girl would say would not endear the Daleks to her.

"What happened to the Emperor?" Rose continued.

"The Emperor survived," Dalek Sec replied, blankly.

"Til he met me... 'cause if these are gonna be my last words, then you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor. And I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks... and I destroyed him." Rose fluttered her eyelashes at Dalek Sec, with a gloating smile, and laughed wildly.

Dalek Sec rolled forwards. "You will be _exterminated_!"

"No!" The Priestess shouted. She swept forwards and loomed between Rose and any of the four Daleks. "If you would like to murder someone who has committed a transgression against the Dalek race, there is no better being than I." She took a brave step forwards. "I killed your creator. I led Davros' ship into the Nightmare Child before escaping and I watched from my ship as he was consumed. Words could not express the immeasurable joy I felt when that monster was eviscerated just as he deserved. The great Lord and Creator of the Dalek race, turned to nothing, by _me_."

The words would be the end of her, but they were her truth and she did not regret it.

 _I am sorry, Theta._

"Exterminate her!" Dalek Sec screeched, and the four Daleks surged towards the Priestess.

"Oh now, hold on, wait a minute,"

Everyone in the sphere chamber turned to see the Doctor strolling through the doorway, casually.

"Alert, alert," Dalek Sec spun around, panicked. "You are the Doctor."

The Priestess let out the air in her lungs that she hadn't even realised she had been holding in. She smiled, all bright and easy, as if everything were perfectly alright in the world. The Doctor sauntered into the room, wearing his 3D glasses.

"Sensors report he is unarmed," Dalek Thay told the others.

"That's me. Always," The Doctor agreed, lightly.

"Then you are powerless," Dalek Sec put forth.

"Not me," The Doctor drawled, taking his 3D glasses off with a flourish. "Never." He touched the Priestess' hand. "You good?"

He could feel the bedlam of her emotions, with such a desperate edge, sink into every corner of his mind. There had been those minutes, few as they may have been, where the Doctor had been beyond her reach and she had been trapped in a room with four Daleks who wanted her death. It had reminded her too much of the Time War, barely dodging the Daleks and their forces, avoiding the Skaro Degradations and the Neverweres and all the other horrors that were unleashed during the war, before being taken prisoner by Davros and shackled for dreams that she could not control.

The Priestess nodded, giving him a soft look. "Always."

He squeezed her hand and turned to Rose. "How are you?"

Rose eyed their entwined hands with a brief look of disdain and outrage, before her face smoothened out into a blinding grin that she gifted the Doctor with.

"Oh, same old, you know," She said, lightly.

"Good!" The Doctor said cheerfully. His eyes brightened when he looked at Mickey. "Mickity-McMickey!" The two men bumped fists. "Nice to see ya!"

Mickey smirked. "And you, boss."

"Social interaction will cease!" Dalek Jast ordered, threateningly.

"How did you survive the Time War?" Dalek Sec demanded.

"By fighting," The Doctor said, simply. "On the front line."

Mickey recoiled, as if this went against everything he knew of the Doctor – and it did – the Doctor was a peacemaker, hardly a warmonger.

"I was there at the fall of Arcadia."

The Priestess flinched imperceptibly. Both of her boys had fallen at Arcadia. She had felt it, deep in her bones, when it had happened. _A mother always knows._ She had screamed and wrenched at her chains, but it had done nothing to dull the pain.

And if she had wanted to see the Daleks in ruin even more after that day, well, that was her right.

"Someday I might even come to terms with that," The Doctor said, grimly, clutching at the Priestess' hand.

He remembered them too, Anárion and Niämh, strong and fierce and kind, just their mother. He had been there, when they had died, had wanted them to run, far, far away, rather than be cornered in a war they had no place in.

He wondered if Annika blamed him for that.

 _He did_.

"But you lot, ran away!" He taunted, taking a specific sadistic pleasure in those words.

"We had to survive."

"The last four Daleks in existence," The Doctor said, derisively. "So, what's so special about _you_?"

"Doctor, they've got names," Rose said, lowly, wanting to help. "And Daleks don't have names, do they? One of them said they-"

"The Cult of Skaro," The Doctor said, delighted. "Tess told me, but I wanted to see it for myself. I thought you were just a legend."

Rose felt a brief irritation at the reminder of the Doctor's mental link with the Priestess (she didn't like being reminded of all those little things that brought the Doctor and _her_ closer while she was left in the cold).

"Who are they?" Rose asked, her voice almost sharp.

The Doctor strolled around the four Daleks. "A secret order. Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names," He said, distastefully. "All to find new ways of killing."

Mickey gestured to the Ark. "But that thing, they said it was yours. I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?"

"Until today, I had no idea something like it even existed," The Doctor mused.

Rose frowned. "But it's... Time Lord."

"Both sides had secrets," The Doctor said, grimly. He looked at the Priestess (she wondered: _was that disapproval in his eyes?_ ). "But Tess knows. She'll tell us."

The Priestess stared him on, steadily (she took no shame in what she had done – the Genesis Ark had been designed long before the Time War had even begun, and Romana, who had succeeded her after her term as Lady President of the High Council of Time Lords, had asked to consult on the project, and she had acquiesced, knowing that it would be necessary for _something_ but hadn't exactly known what).

She turned to Mickey and Rose. "A Genesis Ark is a prison ship constructed by the Time Lords."

"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy," Dalek Sec agreed.

"What do you mean Time Lord science?" Rose asked, confused.

"It requires the touch from a time traveller to unseal the Genesis Ark," The Priestess reminded the Doctor.

The Doctor scoffed. "Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch. Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything... ever... from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage. Completely alone. And that explains your voice. No wonder you scream," He growled, his grin sharp and cruel.

"The Doctor will open the Ark!" Dalek Sec ordered.

The Doctor laughed, contemptuously. "The Doctor will not," He taunted

"You have no way of resisting."

"Well... you got me there. Although... there is always this," The Doctor brandished his sonic screwdriver, which he had just pulled from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"A sonic probe?"

"That's _screwdriver_ ," The Doctor corrected.

"It is harmless," Dalek Sec said, scornfully.

"Oh, yes," The Doctor agreed. "Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do, it is _very_ good at opening doors."

He activated the screwdriver, and immediately, the doors exploded inwards. The room was flooded with black-clad men and Cybermen, suddenly leaping into action and firing all of their ammunition at the Daleks.

"Delete! Delete! Delete! Delete!"

"Alert! Casing impact, casing impact!" Dalek Caan screeched, the outside of the Dalek shell rippling with blue energy.

The Doctor knocked the Priestess to the ground, covering her, pulling Rose down as well, as the three tried to avoid the rounds and ricochet.

"Rose, get out!" The Doctor ordered.

Rose tried to make it towards the door but stumbled.

"Fire power insufficient! Fire power insufficient!" Dalek Sec shrieked.

Before Rose hit the ground, she was caught by Pete, who helped her to her feet. She opened her mouth to exclaim her surprise or even say something heartfelt, but there was no time for any words, and Pete dragged her to the door. Mickey picked up his electromagnetic pulse rifle and started firing everywhere.

"Daleks will be deleted. Delete! Delete!"

The Doctor and the Priestess managed to skid towards the door, in the midst of all the violence, their hands still entwined, and finally they reached Rose and Pete, who stood in the doorway, waiting for them but out of harms' way.

"Mickey, come on!" Rose shouted at Mickey, who was still bravely shooting at the Daleks in the middle of all the havoc.

"Adapt to weaponry!" Dalek Thay said, urgently.

"Fire power restored!" Dalek Sec screeched, triumphantly.

The Dalek fired once at a Cyberman, which recoiled from the blow and collapsed to the floor. Jake managed to reach the door, but Mickey lost his footing when a Cyberman fell against him and accidently landed on top of the Genesis Ark, his hand brushing against the curve at the top, leaving a red-hot mark there. He winced and immediately retracted his hand, dashing for the door.

"Cybermen primary target."

They all managed to slip through the door before the Doctor shut it from the control panel on the outside, sealing both the Daleks and the Cybermen inside.

"Jake, check the stairwell," The Doctor ordered. "The rest of you, come on!"

They ran down the corridor, desperately, every now and then looking back to see if they were being followed by either the Daleks or the Cybermen.

"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" Mickey explained, desperately.

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favour!" The Doctor reassured him, kissing the top of his head. "Now, run!"

* * *

Jackie was still hurrying down the stairs. Finally, she was forced to come to an abrupt hall when she saw the Cybermen approaching from the bottom of the stairs. She started running back up again and then finally exited the stairwell on the next floor. She started down a corridor and screamed when she came face-to-face with two Cybermen.

"You will be upgraded," The Cyberman intoned, threateningly.

"No, but you can't!" Jackie whimpered. "Please-"

The Cybermen didn't approach further since they were shot from behind, exploding in a well of sparks. They fell to the ground, dead, only to reveal Pete aiming a large, heavy-built gun behind them, accompanied by the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Mickey. Jackie squinted through the smoke clouding the space where the Cybermen had just stood, uncomprehending, and then finally, her eyes widened as she realised just who was standing in front of her.

Her heart jumped into her throat and she suddenly felt like bursting into tears.

"Pete!"

* * *

 **A/N** : Yay, that's finished! We at the most have like one or two chapters left, so be prepared for the end, everyone!

Hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!


	27. Doomsday: The Life Before Her Eyes

**A/N** : Okay, this is like the last chapter of the story. So, as you can probably assume, a lot of shit goes down here.

 **Warnings** : Fluff. Angst. Language. Discussion of Child Death and Imprisonment.

* * *

 **Bad Moon Rising**

 **Chapter 27**

 **Doomsday: The Life Before Her Eyes**

 _Jackie was still hurrying down the stairs. Finally, she was forced to come to an abrupt hall when she saw the Cybermen approaching from the bottom of the stairs. She started running back up again and then finally exited the stairwell on the next floor. She started down a corridor and screamed when she came face-to-face with two Cybermen._

" _You will be upgraded," The Cyberman intoned, threateningly._

" _No, but you can't!" Jackie whimpered. "Please-"_

 _The Cybermen didn't approach further since they were shot from behind, exploding in a well of sparks. They fell to the ground, dead, only to reveal Pete aiming a large, heavy-built gun behind them, accompanied by the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Mickey. Jackie squinted through the smoke clouding the space where the Cybermen had just stood, uncomprehending, and then finally, her eyes widened as she realised just who was standing in front of her._

 _Her heart jumped into her throat and she suddenly felt like bursting into tears._

" _Pete!"_

Behind Pete and his gun, Rose's hands went up to her mouth as she awaited the reunion between her alternate-universe father and her mother.

Pete hesitated before saying something. "Hello, Jacks."

Jackie's shoulders slumped. "I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair," She whined. "Why him?" She demanded of the Doctor.

Pete shook his head, still unable to quite comprehend his wife ( _not his wife_ ) standing in front of him, as dishevelled as his Jackie had never been.

"I'm not a ghost," He denied.

Jackie paused and frowned. "But you're dead. You died twenty years ago, Pete," She insisted.

The Doctor took a step forward. "It's Pete from a different Universe," He began, hesitantly. "There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where-"

He squeaked when the Priestess pinched a spot on his hip.

"Hey!" He protested.

Jackie nodded, as if agreeing with the Priestess' action. "Oh, you can shut up."

The Doctor pouted at the Priestess, who rolled her eyes and grasped him by the lapel of his suit jacket, pulling him back into the background. Rose was too focused on the tension between her parents to even get jealous at the Doctor and Priestess' easy camaraderie.

"Oh... you look old," Jackie whispered.

"You don't," Pete said, immediately, smiling at her fondly.

"How can you be standing there?" Jackie insisted.

Pete shrugged. "Just got lucky... lived my life. You were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or...?" He trailed off, almost certain he didn't want to know the answer.

"There was never anyone else," Jackie said, quietly.

The Priestess understood. She understood better than most. There were decades where she had feared the Doctor had perished or disappeared or had simply decided to leave and never return to her but undertaking what their relationship had been with someone else had never seemed a valid option to her; not in nine-hundred years would she have even considered traversing that unruly ground with anyone _but_ him.

She saw the Doctor smirk out of the corner of her eye and she subtly pressed down on the front of his feet with her heel, to which he almost shouted.

"Twenty years, though," Jackie laughed, self-deprecatingly. "Look at me, I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself."

"Brought _her_ up," Pete thumbed over his shoulder. "Rose Tyler."

The Doctor and Mickey couldn't help but smile, proudly.

"That's not bad," Pete commented.

"Yeah," Jackie whispered, lamely.

"In my world, it worked," Pete added. "All those daft little plans of mine. They worked. Made me rich."

Jackie shook her head, fervently. "I don't care about that." She paused. "How rich?"

She couldn't help herself.

Pete grinned. _Same old Jackie._ "Very."

Jackie shook her head again, as if trying to convince herself of the fact. "I don't care about that. How very?"

Pete laughed, making Rose roll her eyes (although her bouncing on her feet was more telling of her actual mood), while the Doctor smiled at the newly-reunited couple, fondly.

 _I know what you engineered,_ the Priestess told the Doctor, coyly.

The Doctor huffed. _I have no idea what you're talking about._

 _Beloved, you may be able to fool the humans, but you will never be able to fool me_ , the Priestess pointed out. _You brought Pete Tyler back to this universe for a purpose._

The Doctor paused. _In my defence, I thought they'd make a good couple._

The Priestess' laugh was low and soothing and warm like melted chocolate in his head.

 _Was that before or after Pete refused to allow you to return to this universe to save me, my very own knight_?

The Doctor grimaced. _How did you know?_

The Priestess' mind was mellow with affection: all balmy yellows and oranges. _You would never allow anyone to separate you from myself, beloved. You may not carry a weapon, but you have many other talents that allow you to manifest your intentions._

 _You're making me blush, darling,_ the Doctor teased. He sobered eventually. _I wouldn't have let them keep us apart, Nikki. If it meant… subtly pushing Pete towards Jackie, well, then…_

 _It is fair if it keeps us together,_ the Priestess finished, knowingly.

She would have done the same – manipulation may gall at her, but if it meant remaining with the Doctor, was there any line she wouldn't cross?

 _I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think they'd be good for each other_ , the Doctor said, lamely. _But, yeah, I wanted to get back here, and Pete wasn't about to let me and all I could think about was you in a room with four Daleks who would take a great pleasure in killing you. And I wouldn't have even known, because the bond doesn't translate across universes. I had to convince him to let me return and teasing him with the possibility of his wife alive in another universe – a wife that he could be happy with – seemed to do the trick. And it was just extra manpower in the end._

 _I understand,_ the Priestess soothed. _I am not admonishing you, my love._ She paused. _Although, your subsequent journeys between the universes may have further irreparably damaged the structural foundations of both universes._

 _Hey,_ the Doctor protested. _I thought you weren't going to scold me._

 _This is not scolding,_ the Priestess defended herself, sheepishly. _This is merely drawing attention to the disadvantage of your scheme, that is all._

The Doctor sniffed. _You can't go one day without trying to one-up me, can you?_

 _In my defence, you do make it very unexacting._

 _Rude,_ the Doctor shot back.

The Priestess laughed. _Oh, yes, I am rude._

"Thing is though, Jacks," Pete paused. "You're… you're not my wife. I'm sorry, but you're not. I mean, we both..."

Jackie nodded and immediately deflated, looking at the ground instead and wishing very much that the ground would swallow her up.

"You know, it's just sort of..." Pete's stoicism gave out and he started towards her. "Oh, come here."

Jackie didn't need any more words and she rushed into Pete's arms, who caught her and swept her off the ground, clutching at her as if he feared he'd never see her again if he let her go.

* * *

The erstwhile group found themselves on the factory floor of Torchwood. The Doctor opened the doors only to find a voracious gunfight between the Cybermen and the Daleks.

"Don't follow me," The Doctor ordered the Priestess.

"You must be mad," The Priestess retorted.

"Hey, you have a better idea?" The Doctor nudged her.

The Priestess waved him off, but took her place with Rose by the doorway, as the Doctor peered inside and abruptly dove right into the middle of the battle. The Priestess hid every single flinch when a beam almost struck the Doctor and stole yet another regeneration away from him, under her vicious stoicism. The Doctor managed to grab onto the two of the magnaclamps, using them to deflect the rays from himself when they approached his direction. He finally made it back towards the door, dodging the beam, just when he tripped over a fallen Cyberman's body.

The Priestess reared up in fury and disbelief. _Are you mad? Of all the times to mislay your grace._

 _Oh, calm down, I'm there._

Beside the Priestess, Rose's hands were clenched tight. "Come on, please."

The Doctor flailed around but got to his feet and slipped through the door to safety, just as the Priestess and Rose shut it behind him. The Doctor was about to rush out of there, when something struck him.

"Wait, no!"

The Doctor motioned towards the doors and the Priestess carefully opened them, so that the Doctor and her could peer around, the Doctor wearing the 3D glasses.

"Override roof mechanism," Dalek Sec ordered.

The roof of the factory floor began to open slowly.

"Elevate."

The Priestess narrowed their eyes. "They need to open the Genesis Ark outside."

Rose looked at her, bewildered. "But why?"

 _It was not a favour with which Mickey had presented us,_ she told the Doctor. _This will be our downfall._

"There are millions of Daleks inside that prison ship. The force of the vacuum would kill everything in sight if the Genesis Ark was opened indoors," The Priestess explained, grimly.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment. "You and I are going to have a conversation about everything you built for the High Council later."

The Priestess raised an eyebrow – if he had wanted to shame her or guilt her, he would be thoroughly disappointed.

The Doctor wanted to start arguing with her, then and there, but he also knew it wasn't the best time to begin that conversation – it would lead them to territory that wasn't exactly safe for public consumption.

Instead, he chose to run back down the corridor, shouting to the others as he went.

"We've gotta see what going on, we've gotta go back up!" The Doctor insisted. "Come on! All of you! Top floor!"

Jackie scowled. "That's forty-five floors up!" She protested. "Believe me, I've done 'em all."

Jake popped his head out of the lift. "We could always take the lift..." He offered.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and the others stepped out of the lift on the top floor, the rift chamber, and rushed to the window, the Doctor dumping the magnaclamps down on Yvonne's desk as he did so. The Priestess was already at the window, watching as the Genesis Ark spun in mid-air, outside, rolls and rolls of Daleks zooming out of it.

"How many Daleks?" Rose asked, her voice small with fear.

"Millions," The Doctor replied, grimly.

After a moment of watching as the Daleks outside fired at the terrified people running below them (people who couldn't have escaped even if they knew what was going on), Pete stormed away from the window.

"I'm sorry, but you've had it. This world's gonna crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home. Jacks, take this," Pete tossed her a dimension transporter.

Jackie looked from the bright yellow button to Pete's stoic face "But they're destroying the city!" She protested.

Pete softened. "I'd forgotten you could argue," He said, affectionately. But he looped the transporter around her neck himself. "It's not just London, it's the whole world." He took her face in his hands, hoping that she would understand if she just looked at him. "But there's another world, just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe. As long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?" He looked at the man in question.

The Doctor turned from where he had been staring at the Priestess, with his 3D glasses on and a giant, confident grin.

"Oh, we're ready," The Doctor said, gleefully. "I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood!" He dashed over to the computer. "Slam it down and close off both universes."

" _Reboot systems._ "

"But we can't just leave," Rose protested. "What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen-?" She trailed off, pointedly.

The Doctor jumped to his feet. "They're part of the problem. And _that_ makes them part of the solution. Oh, yes!"

Rose couldn't help but laugh, although somewhat nervously, contagiously.

The Doctor looked at all of them, expectantly, but for the Priestess, who was simply rolling her eyes at him.

"Well?! Isn't anyone gonna ask? What is it with the glasses?" He pushed.

Rose grinned and bounced on her feet, barely resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at the Priestess.

"What is it with the glasses?"

"I can _see_!" The Doctor jumped three feet in the air. "That's what! 'Cause we've got two separate worlds, but in-between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here! And you lot, one world to another, via the Void!" He paused. "Oh, I like that. Via the Void! Look!" He pressed the glasses onto Rose's face, so that she could see the stray threads of energy floating all around them. "I've been through it. Do you see?"

He dodged around in front of her, so that Rose could see how the particles almost clung to him as he moved. She reached out to try and touch them.

"Reboot in three minutes."

"Void stuff," The Doctor explained.

"Like um... background radiation!" Rose suggested, cheerfully.

The Doctor beamed, proudly. "That's it. Look at the others."

Rose turned around to look at Jake, Mickey, Jackie and Pete, only to find that Jackie was the only member of the small group that wasn't surrounded by the Void stuff.

"The only one who hasn't been through the Void: your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life," The Doctor muttered.

Rose giggled.

"Oi!" Jackie retorted.

The Doctor dashed into the clear white area where the Cybermen had emerged, with Rose following.

"The Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void, end of verse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

" _Pulling_ them all in!" Rose cried out, enthusiastically.

"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor repeated with equal fervour.

"Sorry…" Mickey took a step forward (he couldn't help but look at the Priestess, who was watching the Doctor and Rose interact with some amount of sorrow). "Just so I get this, you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell?"

"Essentially," The Priestess added.

Mickey grinned at them and turned to Jake. "Man, I told you they were good."

Rose continued to peer around the room, with the Doctor's glasses. "But it's... like you said, we've _all_ got Void stuff. Me too, 'cause we went to that parallel world," She flexed her fingers in front of her, examining how the floating green and red particles moved along with the ripples in her skin. She pulled the glasses off and the Doctor stood before her, solemnly. "We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."

The Doctor took a deep breath and looked at the Priestess, who nodded. He gifted Rose with a gentle look.

"That's why you've gotta go," He said, gently.

"Reboot in two minutes."

Rose stared at him, uncomprehending or perhaps unwilling to comprehend what he was saying.

"Back to Pete's world," The Doctor said, slowly. Then, he abruptly pointed to Pete. "Hey, we should call it that, 'Pete's World'." He mused, and then turned back to Rose. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."

Rose continued to stare at him. The Doctor looked away as soon as he could, lest he see the betrayal he was certain was shrouding her gaze.

Pete cleared his throat. "And then you close it. For good?"

The Priestess took a step forward. "The breach itself is infused with the radiation. It will ultimately close itself," She explained.

"But you stay on _this_ side...?" Rose trailed off, her voice going quiet.

"But you'll get pulled in," Mickey pointed out, looking at the Priestess worriedly.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look, before the Doctor sighed and ran over to the magnaclamps. He deliberately avoided Rose's gaze, who looked as if she'd been slapped across the face.

"That's why... we have these," The Doctor explained. "We'll just have to hold on tight. We've been doing it all our lives."

"I'm supposed to go," Rose said, dully.

"Yeah," The Doctor replied.

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off," Rose clarified.

"Yeah."

The Doctor continued to avoid any deeper conversation with Rose and instead went over to another one of the computers.

"Forever," Rose laughed at how absurd the idea was. "That's not gonna happen."

It was as if something vicious had lit up in Rose and she rounded on the Priestess. The Priestess didn't need to be telepathic to know that the girl was blaming her for the recent turn of events, and it was easier for Rose to believe that the Priestess had manipulated the Doctor's decision in order to get rid of her, instead of believing that the Doctor was willingly and voluntarily allowing himself to be parted from her.

Rose, on the other hand, was completely seething. _This is all your fault_ , she wanted to shout. _If you hadn't come into my life, everything would be fine. The Doctor wouldn't have even thought about me going to another universe while he stays here. You ruined EVEYRTHING._

"What about her?" Rose asked, suddenly, gesturing to the Priestess.

The Doctor frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She's staying here. _With you_ ," Rose said, pointedly.

"Yeah, and?" The Doctor pushed, unsure of what she was getting at.

Rose wanted to laugh or cry, either would have done. _He didn't even think about it. She's twisted him up so tight, the cow._

"So, you and _her_ are staying here. While I go to another universe, which gets sealed off," Rose glowered at the Priestess.

There was a crash from outside, which shook the building,

"We haven't got time to argue," Pete said, briskly. "The plans works; we go in. You too. _All_ of us." He told Rose, sternly.

Rose immediately scowled. "No, I'm not leaving him!" She snapped.

"I'm not going without her," Jackie added.

Pete wanted to scream. "Oh, my God. We're _going_."

Jackie reared up in offence. "I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her," She said, sharply.

Rose's shoulders slumped, and she bodily turned her mother around to face her. "You've _got_ to."

"Well, that's tough!" Jackie exclaimed, shrilly.

"Mum…"

"Reboot in one minute."

Rose swallowed hard but forced herself to say what she wanted to say. "I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor and... all the things I've seen him do for me. For you. For all of us. For the whole... stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum."

The Priestess wanted to rage at that, rage at the girl's arrogance – _he does not do it alone; he has me; he will always have me, long after your bones are dust in the ground._

Instead, she looked at the Doctor, pointedly, who nodded, with such terrible sadness in his eyes that it made her wonder, just for a brief moment (although, in hindsight, that was probably enough) that maybe Rose's feelings for her Bondmate weren't as unrequited as she had first thought they were.

 _No. He would not betray me in that manner. He would not stray._

But it was a thought that would endure.

The Doctor silently took the dimension transporter out of his pocket.

"But not anymore," Rose continued, backing away in the Doctor's direction. "'Cause now he's got me." The Doctor looped the chain around Rose's neck and she looked down, bewildered. "What're you-?"

Before she could say or do anything, Pete had pressed the button and all of them disappeared, leaving the Doctor and the Priestess alone in the rift chamber. The Priestess watched the Doctor stare at the place Rose had just been occupying with such a desolate expression that all of those daunting misgivings about the Doctor and Rose began to thrive like weeds in her head, until she was forced to look away before the Doctor could see her distress.

Moments later, Rose appeared in exactly the same place with a loud pop.

"I think this is the on switch..." She sighed, happily.

The Doctor and the Priestess jumped in shock.

The Doctor, realising what Rose had done, seized the girl by the shoulders, wanting to shake her until her skull rattled – _perhaps, then, some sense will come to her_ , he thought, unforgivably.

"Once the breach collapses, that's _it_ ," The Doctor snapped, hoping at least his anger would make the girl understand what she was giving up. "You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"

He thought of Annika then, how she had flinched away when he had mentioned Arcadia. He wondered how it had been for her, to be on that ship, surrounded by monsters who wanted her dead and feel the death of each of their three children, their granddaughter, in her head and know that there was nothing she could do about it – the great Dream Child, Lady Oracle, helpless to save the children for whom she had bled and stomached intolerance and loved with everything inside her.

Decades later, and Annika hadn't healed from the loss (neither had he, but at least he had been _there_ – all Annika could do was listen and scream as her babies were gunned down). How would Rose cope, when the fiercest being he had ever known couldn't bring herself to even _think_ the names of her dead children without wanting to claw at her own eyes (had she considered ending it all, during the War? Or had she thought her survival to be her punishment?)?

No wonder Annika became exasperated by Rose sometimes.

Rose stared him down, calm in the face of his disappointment and anger – so certain in the validity of her decision.

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you."

The Doctor's hold on the girl slackened in surprise.

The Priestess made a sound of fury and stormed over to the blonde girl.

"You are a blind little fool," She hissed, and for a moment, Rose truly believed that she hated her (if the Priestess were even capable of that much emotion – Rose definitely hadn't seen much more from her that indifference and arrogance). She rounded on the Doctor, who flinched away from her look of anger. "And shame on you for encouraging her."

Rose glared at the Priestess, wanting to shout at her and gloat in the face of her triumph, but wisely kept her mouth shut, seeing the Doctor's cold gaze (clearly, he hadn't been able to see past whatever tale the Priestess had spun for him to convince him to send her to that parallel universe).

"Tess, I didn't-" The Doctor began, wounded that the Priestess would ever think that he was siding with Rose over her.

The bond was closed on her side, so he couldn't even explain himself to her.

The Priestess ignored him, choosing to continue to glower at Rose. "Losing a child is not a trauma from which one rapidly recovers, no matter your species. It is a loss that remains with you until you die. Even if, one day, you are able to think of your child with affection and joy, it will ache and pull at you every single moment of every single day. That is the fate you are dooming your mother to, you selfish little girl."

Rose tipped her head up in defiance, challenging the Time Lady. "And I suppose you know so much about it?" She said, derisively.

"My three children are dead," The Priestess said, bluntly, making Rose startle in her shock. "So, as you say, I do know much about it. And I thought you had cured yourself of your self-obsession, but it appears I was mistaken."

"Tess," The Doctor began, soothingly, looking at Rose, worriedly (while he didn't necessarily approve of Rose's decision, he didn't want Annika to irreparably wound the girl – and Annika had quite the sharp tongue when she was making a point). "Don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

The way she looked at him then – like he wasn't her Bondmate and husband and father of her children and lover and oldest and dearest friend in the universe – it made him want to crawl into a ball and escape the world.

The Priestess shook her head in disgust at the Doctor's easy acceptance of Rose's decision – she didn't want to think it, but _he prefers her to remain with him_ went on a loop in her mind.

 _They are companions. He does not want to lose her._

 _For what purpose, though? Is he distressed by the thought of never seeing her again because she is his friend, or because she represents something more indelicate?_

Rose stood her ground, however. "I made my choice!" She insisted.

The Priestess gritted her teeth and rounded on the Doctor. "If this is the choice she makes, and you accept it, then you will bring me to Sarah Jane's home."

The Doctor was flabbergasted. "What?"

 _Nikki? What the hell are you talking about?_

But the bond was still cold to him.

"You will leave me at Sarah Jane's home," The Priestess said, firmly. "Perhaps she will find some work for me, but I will not stay here, not in the TARDIS, not while you accede to the childish, short-sighted decisions of a girl too young to comprehend what she is depriving herself of."

The Priestess left the Doctor and Rose standing there and made her way over to one of the computers, deliberately ignoring them.

While she was still reeling from the thought of never seeing her mother again (never having her mother tuck her in bed while she was sick, never having her mother make her a cup of hot tea to soothe her when she was ill or agitated, never having her mother's shoulder to cry on when she was upset), in an almost triumphant way, Rose wondered if she would actually get her way, that the Doctor would actually drop the Priestess off with Sarah Jane and they could get back to their adventures, as they had been before the Doctor had found the Priestess and ruined the whole dynamic between them – perhaps she had managed to kill two birds with one stone with her single decision.

She looked at the Doctor, determinedly. "So, what can I do to help?"

"Systems rebooted. Open access."

The Doctor took a deep breath, but Rose stubbornly held the Doctor's gaze, not willing to give in.

"Those coordinates over there, set them all at six," The Doctor ordered, his voice displeased.

Rose walked over to the computer, meek in her obedience.

"And hurry up," The Doctor snapped.

Perhaps it was cruel of him, unfair even, but he blamed Rose – Annika would never have contemplated the idea of leaving him alone if Rose had just stayed in the parallel universe like she was supposed (and he had been trying to protect her, ensure that she stayed with her family – he still remembered Jackie asking him if she'd be safe with him; what else could he have done?).

And now, she wanted to leave him there, all because she thought he agreed with Rose's decision, as if he didn't comprehend the wounds they both carried after losing everything in the war.

Of course, he didn't agree with her.

And it was easier to blame Rose than it was to blame himself.

* * *

The Priestess looked down at the computer screen.

"The Cybermen are approaching," She told the Doctor, her voice clipped.

The Doctor rushed over to a nearby computer. "How many floors down?"

"One," The Priestess replied.

The Doctor tapped in a command on the laptop.

"Levers operational."

The Doctor grinned, triumphantly.

His smile gave Rose the go-ahead to grin as well. "That's more like it, bit of a smile! The old team!" She pushed.

The Doctor couldn't help but beam at her – her enthusiasm could be infectious. He picked up a Magnaclamp and went over to her, handing it over to her. By the time he had turned around, the Priestess had already attached the other clamp to the wall, beside the levers, on the opposite side of the room.

"Press the red button," The Doctor instructed Rose, who pressed the button. "When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void Stuff. Are you ready?"

The Doctor needed to know that Rose was prepared – this wouldn't end well if Rose lost her grip on the clamp for just one second.

Rose stared out of the window, seeing the Daleks approaching them, threateningly.

"So are they," She said, soberly.

The Daleks were now at the window.

"Let's do it!" The Doctor shouted.

The three pushed the levers upwards and then hurriedly took hold of the magnaclamps, with Rose on one side of the room and the Doctor and the Priestess on the other side.

"Online."

The wall in front of them, from which the Cybermen had emerged when the rift had opened, was filled with white light and a gust of fierce wind blew through the entire room. The Daleks were sucked through the window, smashing through the glass, against their own will, and were pulled into the white light and back into the Void, while the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose held onto the clamps tightly, struggling to hold on as the suction from the Void pulled at them as well.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor shouted, triumphantly.

The space between her and the Time Lords was quickly filled by zooming Cybermen and Daleks, all shrieking in futility as they hurtled into the Void, despite their best efforts to stay grounded. Soon, the drag from the Void began to slow and Rose smiled over at the Doctor, thinking that they had managed to pull the daring plan off. However, just when she thought everything was alright, there was a small explosion of sparks and the lever on Rose's side moved back of its own accord into the 'off' position.

The smile faded from the Doctor and Rose's faces, while the Priestess looked on, disconcerted.

"Offline."

"Turn it on!" The Priestess urged.

The pull began to ease, and Rose reached for the lever, while still maintaining her grip on the clamp. Unfortunately for her, it was just slightly too far away for her to hold onto both. She strained to reach it but was ultimately forced to let go of the clamp, so that she could grab onto the lever. The Doctor and the Priestess watched her struggle, full of dread of what would happen should she let go of the lever.

 _She has absorbed enough of the background radiation that she will be pulled into the Void easily once the rift is opened_ , the Priestess resolved, worriedly.

Rose whimpered as she struggled with the lever, trying to push it away from her into the 'on' position.

"I've gotta get it upright!" She shouted through the vacuum.

Rose groaned as she pushed the level upwards, and finally she managed to make it upright.

The Doctor and the Priestess watched, barely breathing, as time, for just a moment, slowed around them.

"Online and locked."

The suction became agonising to resist once more, and Rose was left with nothing but the lever to hold onto.

"Rose, hold on!" The Priestess shouted.

But the Void pulled at her and Rose cried out as her hands began to blister with the force she was exerting just to keep her grip.

"HOLD ON!" The Doctor screamed.

Rose whined as her arms began to ache and her muscles slackened despite her best efforts. The Doctor and the Priestess stared, in absolute terror, both reaching out to her with one hand that would never get to her, completely powerless. With one last cry of disbelief and fear, Rose's grip failed her, and she was pulled inextricably into the Void, screaming as she did so.

Both the Doctor and the Priestess felt something inside them break and they screamed her name, knowing that there was no way they could help her. Just before she hit the wall and was sucked into the Void, Pete appeared in her way and Rose was caught in his arms. Rose only had the time to glance over her shoulder at the Doctor, who was staring at her, heartbrokenly, before she and Pete disappeared into the other universe. The Doctor and the Priestess simply stared at the place where Rose had just been, moments before, unable to quite comprehend what had just happened to Rose.

Moments later, as if the universe was laughing at their arrogance, the breach closed itself and the wind faded, leaving the rift chamber completely silent as gravity allowed the Doctor and the Priestess to land on the ground.

The Doctor didn't spare the Priestess a second glance as he walked up to the wall in the rift chamber. He rested his palm flat against the wall and leaned his forehead against it as well. For a brief moment, he imagined he could even sense Rose standing there, herself, with her forehead pressed against the wall in her own universe, as far as two people could possibly be.

The Doctor's hand slid down the wall.

The Priestess could see how much the loss had weighed on him and crossed her arms over her chest, unsure of how to approach him now, how to comfort him.

She stood there, waiting for him to say something or do anything.

And he didn't disappoint.

"Did you know?"

The Priestess looked up from where she had been staring at the floor, warily. "I do not understand."

The Doctor's laugh was rough. "Oh, I think you do. Did you know?"

"I would prefer it if you elaborated," The Priestess replied.

"Did you know that she would get trapped in the other universe? Did you see it?"

"Theta-"

"I know, I know you tell me that you don't always remember what you see in your visions, and I've believed you. I have _always_ believed you. But I need to know, now, this time, did you know what would happen to Rose?" The Doctor demanded.

The fact that he was even asking her this question spoke volumes as to what he had already decided about her.

"Think of what you are asking me," The Priestess warned. "Think of what you are suspecting me of-"

"That's my point, though," The Doctor growled. "In the nine-hundred years that I've known you, I've never even _thought_ about asking you this. I know you don't like to talk about the visions you have, and I have _always_ respected that. I have always trusted that you'd tell me if I needed to know something. But you _don't_ , do you? You keep everything to yourself and you just expect me to follow along." He laughed, dryly. "Well, not today. So, tell me, Tess, did you know?"

"No," The Priestess replied, knowing that he wouldn't accept any other answer than one to his question.

The Doctor's eyes were red – the Priestess wondered if he'd cried when he thought her dead, or were his tears just for his human companions?

"You knew on Satellite 5, didn't you?" The Doctor accused.

"I thought we had already discussed that," The Priestess retorted.

"No, no, we didn't," The Doctor snapped. "You just shut me down because it's easier than having to explain yourself. But you knew something bad would happen to Rose on Satellite 5 and you kept it from me. Is it really a long shot that you would do the same thing again?"

"What would you have me say?" The Priestess exclaimed. "You want me to confirm some suspicion in your head that I cannot, because it is not true."

"Are you sure about that?" The Doctor flung at her. "Maybe you didn't know that Rose would be trapped in the other universe, but you definitely knew that something bad would happen to her now. And you kept it from me."

"How do you know that I knew?" The Priestess demanded.

"Because you _always_ know!" The Doctor shouted. "You always know _everything_. You're telling me that you missed _this_ , the Daleks and the Cybermen attacking Earth, _together_. I don't believe you." He continued without waiting for her to reply. "Did you think I'd prevent it, prevent her from getting stuck over there? I'd ruin your plan, wouldn't I?"

"What plan would have been ruined?" The Priestess asked, incredulously.

"You seemed really eager that Rose go to that universe," The Doctor accused. "Why was that?"

The Priestess reared back in shock and offence. "What are you insinuating?"

"I think you didn't like Rose," The Doctor told her, coldly. "And I think this was an easy way to get rid of her, and you made me think you had her best interests, when you were just serving yourself."

The Priestess looked at her Bondmate as if she'd never seen him before – and she supposed, this Theta Sigma, she hadn't.

The Theta Sigma she had fallen in love with would never have accused her of being jealous to such an extent that she would actively conspire to trap the object of her envy in a parallel universe just to be rid of her – it was insulting to the greatest degree, as a person and his Bondmate, and the galling thing was that he knew how much those words would hurt her above all else – to reduce her to something plain and emotional and maudlin.

She would've preferred it if he'd struck her instead.

When the Priestess spoke next, her voice was rough. "You have never spoken to me in this manner before, beloved."

What else could she say? She could lose all of her composure and scream at him and strike him and accuse him of wanting ( _loving_ ) that human girl more than he wanted her, but all it would do would be to serve the Doctor's newfound impression of her.

The Doctor shrugged, as if her pain didn't faze him – so great was his anger and grief.

"Before, I didn't have any reason not to trust you."

"And you do now, is that it?" The Priestess gritted out.

"You tell me."

The Priestess stared at him for a moment, and then drew everything around her like a shield – all of her hurt and anger and resentment and regret, it made her _strong_ and _unyielding._ She didn't even let him see how much he had hurt her (he didn't get to make her cry, not again, _not ever again_ ) – she was, after all, the consummate monument to hiding all that slick bitterness that would've made him feel bad at some point over the course of their lifetimes together (the Other forbid the Doctor feel guilty about anything).

And then she left him there, standing, alone.

* * *

The Priestess was about to enter the console room, when she spotted the Doctor standing just in front of the console, with a transparent image of Rose standing in front of him.

"Where are you?" Rose's image asked him, her voice thick with emotion.

"Inside the TARDIS," The Doctor replied, gently. "There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection, I'm in orbit around a super nova." He laughed, softly. "I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

 _Burning up a sun. That is quite beautiful_ , the Priestess thought, miserably.

All of those thoughts that insisted the Doctor felt something more than just friendly affection for Rose Tyler hastened back into her mind just as quickly as they had left.

Rose shook her head. "You look like a ghost," She commented, forlornly.

The Doctor paused. "Hold on..." He took the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and managed to strengthen his own projection in Rose's universe by pointing it at the console.

Rose raised a hand to touch his face and it took everything in the Priestess (everything kind and understanding and mournful for the trepid little human who had wanted something more from life than to be just a shop girl) not to sweep between the two and prevent Rose from putting her hand on the Doctor, even as a projection – the Other knew the Doctor would only hold that as further evidence of her perceived jealousy of the girl.

"Can I t-?"

If the Doctor was uncomfortable that someone other than his Bondmate wanted to touch him, he certainly didn't show it – a sight that the Priestess well observed.

"I'm still just an image. No touch," The Doctor said, regretfully.

Rose's voice trembled, and it was clear that she was barely holding the tears back. "Can't you come through properly?"

The Doctor shook his head. "The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" Rose half-joked.

The Priestess knew that if Rose could've, she would've said to hell with the two universes and lunged across the Void to reunite with the Doctor – despite her myriad of emotions at the current situation, she sympathised very much with the sentiment (not that she could ever be so selfish – two universes, _all those people_ , were not worth her desires).

The Doctor smiled, and they continued to stare at each other for a few moments, before the Doctor looked around at Rose's surroundings.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asked, curiously.

"We're in Norway," Rose explained.

The Doctor made a bewildered face. "Norway. Right."

"About fifty miles out of Bergen. It's called 'Dårlig Ulv Stranden'."

The Doctor's brow knitted together, thinking he had misheard. "Dalek?"

" _Dårl-IG_. It's Norwegian for 'bad'."

The Doctor continued to stare at her, his brow furrowed, wondering if there was something he was supposed to grasp but just couldn't.

"This translates as 'Bad Wolf Bay'."

The Doctor and Rose both couldn't help but laugh, but they sobered immediately, remembering the reality of the situation.

"How long have we got?" Rose's voice cracked.

"About two minutes…" The Doctor said, solemnly.

Rose laughed at the absurdity of everything. "I can't think of what to say!"

This made the Doctor laugh too, and glanced over at where Jackie, Pete and Mickey were waiting by the Jeep. He couldn't help but regard them, fondly.

"You've still got Mr. Mickey, then?" The Doctor suggested.

Rose nodded. "There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey... and the baby."

The Doctor's eyes widened, and he couldn't help his eyes from trailing down towards Rose's stomach.

"You're not…?"

"No," Rose laughed at the look on the Doctor's face. "It's mum."

The Doctor grinned and looked over at Jackie.

"She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

"And what about you? Are you...?" The Doctor trailed off, unsure of how to finish his question.

"Yeah, I'm-I'm back working in the shop."

The Doctor nodded, hiding his disappointment. "Oh, good for you."

Rose giggled. "Shut up. No, I'm not. There's still a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business." Her eyes filled with the tears she thought she had gotten rid of. "I think I know a thing or two about aliens."

"Rose Tyler," The Doctor said, with no small amount of pride. "Defender of the Earth." He cleared his throat once Rose's soft look started to make him uncomfortable. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead."

Rose couldn't help it when the tears began to fall.

"Here you are," The Doctor smiled, as if everything were alright in his world. "Living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have."

Rose's sobs were loud now. "Am I ever gonna see you again?"

"You can't," The Doctor said, mournfully, his voice so quiet.

"What're you gonna do?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. And Tess. Same old life. Last of the Time Lords, us," The Doctor smiled, grimly.

Rose swallowed hard, the tears falling thick, fast and uncontrollably. "I lo-" She choked before she could finish her sentence and took a deep breath to regain her composure. "I love you."

The Doctor paused. _No, she can't mean-we weren't like that. We're just friends. Good friends. She doesn't mean that she loves me like that. She can't._

Rose waited for him to say something, smiling at him through her brave tears.

"Rose, I..."

But before he could finish his sentence, before the Priestess could know what he would have said to Rose, Rose's image faded away into nothingness and the Doctor was left standing alone in the console room, tears on his cheeks as he realised what he had just lost.

The Priestess watched him compose himself, swallow down all of his grief and close his eyes as he processed through the loss of Rose, and just waited there, in the archway.

The Doctor clenched the edges of the console and then rubbed the tracks of tears on his face away, roughly, with his hands. He wanted nothing more than a cool hand to settle on his shoulder and squeeze and a slender, feminine arm wrap around his waist, curl against his side just how her mind would – he wanted Annika, _his Annika_ , not the body snatcher that had taken her place, silently watching from the entrance of the console room.

"She told me she was in love with me," The Doctor said, gruffly.

"I am aware. I heard," The Priestess said, lightly but sympathetically.

The Doctor wondered if it were a mask. She never used to wear a mask with him.

There was a pause.

"What were you going to say to her?"

He knew exactly what she was implying.

He abruptly turned so that he was facing her. Both fury and bile rose in his throat and he stormed over to her, seizing her by the shoulders in a grip that should have frightened her, but she simply stared back at him, unflinchingly. An unflinching, accepting face, as if she'd take everything he threw at her and stomach it because she loved him (he was taken back to Torchwood and all the hateful things he had spat at her like she wasn't his Bondmate and the mother of his children and his most faithful partner in everything since they were eight years of age – he wanted to apologise, but he didn't quite know how). He tried to find a small piece of the woman who had trusted him above every person in the universe, known him better than anyone else, but he found nothing.

What had happened between the two of them since he had found her strapped down to that table in Van Statten's museum?

What he had done to her, to make her doubt what he would have said to Rose on that beach?

If his last regeneration were here, he would have been knocked out cold for putting this kind of hesitancy and distrust in her.

"What did you think I would say to her?" The Doctor asked her, his eyes cold and his mouth set in a firm line.

"I am not quite certain," She murmured, looking away from his dark eyes.

"Why not?" He asked, his voice a low growl. "Since when do you not know?" He let out a harsh, brittle laugh. "You know everything, remember? That's why they took you away from me."

His small triumph fell short when he saw the brittle hurt in her eyes (had she looked like that in Torchwood and he had just ignored it?), and he wanted nothing more to wipe it away completely. He realised with horror, what he had just said, what he had just thrown in her face – that horrible time in her life, when he had been absent (he continued to wonder if she hated him for it), and their children had been dead and Davros had wanted her to hurt and scream just so he could unspool her brains and see what she saw that was so damning for the universe.

The Priestess wrung her hands together in front of her, a sign of nervousness she would never have displayed in normal circumstances.

"Would you prefer it if I left?"

The Doctor looked at her, stunned by what she had just asked.

"What?" He whispered.

"Would you prefer it if I left?" The Priestess repeated.

"Why-why would I want you to leave?" The Doctor cocked his head in confusion.

The Priestess' answering smile was doleful. "You seem reluctant to have me in your presence, Theta."

"That's-that's not true," The Doctor stammered.

"I do not believe so," The Priestess shook her head. "If that is your desire, I will, of course, comply. I would not want to say where I am not wanted."

"You are wanted," The Doctor insisted, quietly.

The Priestess looked at him with such derision that they both knew she thought he was lying.

"Earlier, you looked me in the eye and told me that you do not trust _me_ ," She levelled. "You do not trust _me_. You believed that I was capable of something so monstrous so as to let your companion be imprisoned in another universe, because you believed I was envious of her. That is what you said to me. You have never insulted me greater than that day, Doctor. Never."

The Doctor took a step forward. "I'm sorry. I was angry, and I shouldn't have said what I said. But that doesn't mean you have to leave. Get angry at me, if you want. Omega, hit me, if that makes you feel better. I'll take it, I know I deserve it. But don't leave."

 _I won't survive this time._

The Priestess looked at him, solemnly. "You claim those words were said in anger, but I do not believe you would not have said them had you not felt some truth in what you were saying."

"No!"

"There is something broken in us," The Priestess said, sharply. "You will not deny that, not to me. There was a time you would never have even considered the concept of distrusting me, but today, it came to you so easily. I do not know what I have done to provoke such doubt in you, but it has awoken, and I cannot change that." She looked somewhere beyond his shoulder, and he could see the resentment, plain as day (it made him sick). "I was a fool to think that our bonding would fall into place once we had reunited. I am always a fool." She muttered.

"This bonding works because we love each other," The Doctor whispered, his eyes cast down.

"This bonding works because I come running, foolishly, _every_ time you call me. Because I have _always_ chosen you, even when you did not choose me," The Priestess said, sharply. "I have always taken your side, no matter what choices you have made, I have always stood by you."

"No, that's…" The Doctor shook his head, frantically. "That's not true!"

He knew what she was trying to say, and it wasn't something he couldn't accept, not with her.

She smiled, wryly. "This bonding works…" She paused, hating to have to admit what had been running through her head every now and then for the past nine-hundred years. "Because I love you more than you love me. Because I have never asked you to be anything other than what you are." The breath she let out was more like a broken sob than she had realised. "And that cannot be enough anymore. We have lived through too much and lost too much for me to settle for this constant struggle once more."

"Nikki..." The Doctor took a step forward towards her, but she took a step back, closing her eyes and inhaling. "What you're saying is pointless, Annika. You are my Bondmate." The Doctor growled, frustrated. He glared at her. "I'm not going to let you do this. I am not going to let you end nine-hundred years of the most important relationship I have ever had."

The Priestess gathered her composure and shook her head. "I would have you happy. And if you are happier without me, then, I will, of course, accept that."

She gave him the strongest smile she could muster, knowing that both of her hearts were shattering at this precise moment and she could no longer breathe.

"But I can't be happy." The Doctor said, quietly. "Not without you. How could I be happy?"

When he made to reach for her again, she was already walking out of the console room.

The Doctor was left standing in the console room, on his own, feeling very much like something irrevocable had just been torn from him. When the Priestess had disappeared from around the corner, it was as if all the light had switched off inside him, and he was lost, in empty space and darkness, left to fend for himself without Annika anywhere near him, be it in his mind or by his side.

He turned his attention to the TARDIS console, pushing the buttons and levers absentmindedly and walking around it without his usual fanfare, hoping that the monotonous movements would distract him enough to forget the fact that his universe had been ripped out right from underneath him all because he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut at the loss of a friend – but he also knew that was a thoughtless way of considering what Annika had revealed to him just then – clearly, there had been more cracks in their relationship that he hadn't even been aware of, but she had born close to her hearts without even saying a word.

He looked up, suddenly, and was startled by the presence of a red-haired woman, standing in the middle of the console room, wearing a voluptuous white wedding dress.

"What?" The Doctor exclaimed, aghast.

The bride turned around to see him standing there, on his lonesome, and she yelped with surprise.

"What?!" The Doctor was even more bewildered.

"Who are you?" The bride demanded, disdainfully.

The Doctor looked around, but her presence still didn't compute. "But-"

"Where am I?"

"What?!" The Doctor squawked.

"What the hell is this place?" The bride screamed.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **A/N** : And the end of another era. As was promised, this story ended on a pretty angsty note, but anyone who actually read the initial excerpt for this series that I posted in _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_ would know that this was bound to happen.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to continue this series anymore, but I will be putting up a synopsis so you all can see where I was planning on going with this. But if you have any questions, please direct them to my Tumblr: deathsweetqueen.


End file.
